Vaughan Dawes pleads guilty in Coffs Harbour court to sexually touching teen girl without consent
A Mid-North Coast landscaper told a teen “you look grown up” before grabbing her on the breasts and on another occasion lay next to her and said “you smell good”.
Mid-North Coast
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A Coffs Harbour landscaper told a teen “you look grown up” before grabbing her on the breasts.
On another occasion he told her “you’ve got lipstick on and you look pretty” before lying down next to her and once again placing his hands on her, before she fled from the room and called for help.
Vaughan Dawes appeared in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual touching without consent.
The charges relate to two incidents that took place in January 2022 and September 2023 in Coffs Harbour.
In January 2022, the victim was wearing a T-shirt and pyjama shorts and walked past Dawes when he said “you look grown up” and with his left hand he grabbed her left breast.
Then in September 2023 when she was about 17-years-old, Dawes saw her lying on her bed and said “you’ve got lipstick on and you look pretty”.
He then lay down next to her and said “you smell good” before putting his hand on her breast and moving it down towards her waist, according to court documents.
The teen said “no” then walked to the kitchen and messaged a family member who came to pick her up.
The matters were reported to police in October 23.
In May last year the victim went to the Coffs Harbour police station and provided a statement and in October the person who had picked her up following the 2023 incident also provided a statement.
On January 15 this year, Dawes went to Coffs Harbour police station and handed himself in and was cooperative with officers as they interviewed him.
He was charged and has been on bail ever since.
After pleading guilty in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday magistrate Julia Virgo ordered a sentence assessment report and adjourned the matter to April 23.
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