Former MP Craig Kelly’s staffer Frank Zumbo on sexual touching charges

A young woman is the third staff member to allege in court that ousted MP Craig Kelly’s chief of staff touched her without consent following years of regular berating and questioning of her loyalty in long-winded conversations.

Francesco ”FrankÕ Zumbo, at the Downing Centre Local Court for his sexual touching hearing. Picture: Newswire / Brendan Read

A young employee has told a court she felt “sad and disgusted” after her boss more than twice her age “stole” her first kiss while working in the office of ousted federal MP Craig Kelly.

Francesco ‘Frank’ Zumbo, 55, has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of sexual touching and indecent assault after five woman made allegations of misconduct while they worked in the office of Mr Kelly between 2014 and 2020.

Zumbo denies all allegations and claims no sexual conduct occurred.

The third of five complainants, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, gave evidence during a Downing Centre Local Court hearing for the past three days.

The woman said she recalled an incident one evening in April 2018 where she and Zumbo were in the office and she was “inconsolable” from crying after Zumbo had a long conversation with her about loyalty.

She went to wash her face in the bathroom but continued crying, so she went into the kitchen to again rinse her eyes, the woman told the court.

The former staffer said Zumbo apologised for making her cry, told her he still loved and cared for her before he went in for what she thought was a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“He kissed me on the lips. I was so angry,” she said during her evidence in chief.

“I said, ‘Frank what was that, you can’t do that’.

“He took my first kiss away from me. I will never forget that.

“I was really sad and disgusted.”

Francesco ”Frank" Zumbo, 55 was a chief of staff to ousted MP Craig Kelly. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brendan Read

The woman said the kiss only lasted a few seconds and she pulled away before Zumbo said he would not do it again.

“Did you consent to the kiss on the lips,” the Crown prosecutor asked.

“No,” the woman replied.

The court heard Zumbo would hug and kiss the woman, and other employees, in the office each morning and afternoon, as well as other times.

The woman alleged Zumbo would kiss her on the check, hug her, rub her thigh and vagina, squeeze her breasts and her bottom on several occasions in the years she worked in the office.

The court heard a secret recording the woman made of a conversation with Zumbo where he said he loved her, found her attractive and he had feelings for her.

“He would be sitting next to me in a seat in Craig’s office, he would put his hand down my thigh and rub my vagina,” the woman said in her evidence.

She said the first instance of alleged sexual touching occurred in a car.

The court heard the woman sent text messages to her friend confiding in her about the kiss on the lips and told her in subsequent messages, “there has been some bum and boob squeezes”.

She told the court she would wear jeans or pants or a tight dress so it was “hard to get hands up there”.

The woman said, I “didn’t know anything different” about how people should behave in an office environment.

During the hearing, the court heard allegations of the toxic and inappropriate way Zumbo treated the woman and other complainants who he referred to as “the sisters”, where he would have long conversations about friendship and loyalty and would also degrade them and demand promises.

The court heard a secret recording the woman made of one of many conversations Zumbo had with her where he asked her repeatedly if she would defend him if a future husband or boyfriend did not approve.

He also questioned her Christian faith and whether she would “submit” to her husband.

Zumbo allegedly touched five women. Picture: Newswire / Brendan Read

He told her he wanted to be invited to her birthday party if she had one, as well as to her future wedding and christening of future children.

The court heard the women in the office had a secret text conversation used to support each other.

The woman said Zumbo would go through her phone and would question whether she was in contact with her colleagues outside of work.

In cross examination, the woman acknowledged Zumbo assisted her with university assignments and helped her potential political career.

“You were prepared to say anything to Frank that you thought would make him continue helping you,” defence barrister Carolyn Davenport said.

“And to avoid fights, yes,” the woman responded.

The woman agreed Zumbo picked her and took her home after work and she agreed the alleged sexual touching of her vagina that occurred for the first time in the car was against her moral and religious code.

“Yet you did nothing to remove yourself from at least the car situation,” Ms Davenport asked.

“No,” the woman said before bursting into tears.

The woman conceded she had not recorded herself saying “no” to Zumbo when she allegedly told him she did not want him to touch her breasts in a hug.

She also conceded, despite doing a university course, she did not look up if sexual touching was a criminal offence.

“I suggest any sensible person in your position who is doing a law degree would have looked it up if it had been happening to them,” Ms Davenport asked.

“I must have been not sensible. I found it hard mentally. I didn’t want to admit it was happening.”

The woman was asked why she never recorded herself telling Zumbo to not touch her on the vagina.

“There was no recording because I suggest it just didn’t happen,” Ms Davenport said.

“That is not true,” the woman replied.

The hearing continues.