Jayden Hedt: Paramedic sentenced for touching woman’s genital area at Potts Point Hotel

A former paramedic who left a woman “distraught” after touching her genital area in a degrading act during a night out has avoided a criminal conviction.

Jayden Hedt appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.

A man, once referenced as a “sexy paramedic” in an online article, has avoided a criminal conviction for touching a woman in the vagina area during a night of drinking.

Jayden Hedt, 29, of South Coogee, appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday to be sentenced for sexually touch another person without consent following a plea of guilty.

The agreed facts, read out by Magistrate Daniel Reiss, detail how Hedt’s friend allegedly grabbed the breast of a woman while on the rooftop of Potts Point Hotel in March last year.

This alleged grope sparked a conversation between Hedt and a 21-year-old woman about whether the actions were “appropriate”.

Hedt then said to the victim “what about this?” and touched the victim’s genital area through her clothing, before immediately withdrawing his hand.

Jayden Hedt avoided conviction on Thursday.

The victim left the venue “distraught” with Hedt later arrested and taken to Kings Cross police station where he was charged.

Hedt’s lawyer Siobhain Climo told the court on Thursday her client has already been “substantially punished” as a result of the incident, with his 10-year paramedic career coming to “an abrupt end” as a result of the court proceedings.

Magistrate Reiss said the incident was “no doubt distressing to the victim” and it was disturbing the former paramedic had “dabbled in ecstasy and cocaine”, in reference to a previous matter on Hedt’s criminal record.

In referencing a psychologist report on the incident, Magistrate Reiss said the sexual touching wasn’t for “gratification”, but “was a power thing” and a “way to degrade” the victim.

“It seems to me, looking at the circumstances … [you’re] a bit of a smart alec … and there you are having a debate about sexual touching,” he said. “Perhaps you were showing off in front of your friends.”

The court heard alcohol was a factor with Hedt consuming “perhaps 10 vodkas”.

Magistrate Reiss highlighted Hedt’s work as a paramedic and accepted the suspension from his employment was a form of “extra-curial punishment”.

Hedt was sentenced to a 12 month conditional release order without conviction.