Frank Zumbo heard lecturing woman about their friendship during sexual touching hearing

The former chief of staff of ousted MP Craig Kelly sought validation, attention and love from his employee more than half his age, a court has heard.

The former chief of staff of ex-MP Craig Kelly sought validation, attention and love from his employee more than half his age, a court has heard.

Frank Zumbo, 55, has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges of sexual touching and indecent assault after five women alleged misconduct occurred while they worked in the office of Mr Kelly between 2014 and 2020.

Zumbo denies any sexual conduct occurred and is defending the allegations during a hearing at Downing Centre Local Court.

Lengthy recordings were played to the court on Tuesday that a woman had recorded while she sat in Zumbo’s car after he dropped her home in 2015.

Frank Zumbo leaves Downing Centre on June 21 with his lawyer (right) after listening to a recorded conversation of himself and employee. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

The court heard Zumbo lectured the woman for hours, bombarding her with questions, talking over her when she tried to respond and arguing with her whenever she made comments.

The lengthy discussion was sparked when she did not want him to come to her graduation.

She told Zumbo she just wanted her parents to attend her ceremony but Zumbo asked if she had thought about his “offer” to attend, noting he was “selfish” because it was not just her graduation.

He said he would have given up two hours to watch hundreds of people on stage just so he could see her “lovely smile”.

“You have taken the joy out of me supporting you. I wanted to be at your graduation because I couldn’t be prouder of you,” Zumbo was heard on the recording.

Frank Zumbo (right) leaving Downing Centre Courts during his hearing last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Zumbo repeatedly told the woman “I love you” and asked why she was not willing to “fight for the relationship”.

“I want you to make me feel special,” Zumbo said on the recording.

“Rather than lecture you for an hour or two hours you could ask me questions … surprise me randomly … send me a Facebook message, share something, let me know you thought about me.

“You are the whole package except for one thing … What is the missing ingredient … you think in the negative.”

The woman said she was a “private” person which was part of the reason she didn’t talk to him.

He pleaded with her to send him a message “out of the blue” to ask, “how are you going”, adding he was upset she had not sent him a message while she attended a music festival.

Zumbo told the woman that when she told him “no” throughout her employment she had “beaten me to a pulp”, the court heard.

He spoke at length about his hurt of her not wanting to communicate on Instagram and not responding to his text messages.

Frank Zumbo has denied any sexual conduct took place with his employees. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Zumbo deleted his Instagram account in front of her.

He chastised her for “using” him, saying he had helped her in her career, had supported her and if she only wanted a strictly professional relationship then she knew the “consequences”, the court heard.

He asked her why she would not go out to dinner with him.

Zumbo said he wanted an “ongoing relationship” with the woman which was a “step up” from a friendship he had with the other women in the office, adding she only gave him the “smallest of crumbs”, the court heard.

“You put conditions on … you put limits on the friendship,” Zumbo said.

“If I walked away from you, you would not chase me like Craig did.

“I am the last person in the room to turn a light off in a relationship … I stand alone in the room.”

Zumbo also said he understood “no means no”.

“I am very respectful of women,” adding he had never mistreated, been cruel, taken advantage of or done something without the consent of the woman.

“Do you hear me?” Zumbo asked the woman twice.

“Yes Frank,” she said.

Frank Zumbo pictured (left) with his lawyer during the second week of his hearing. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

Zumbo repeatedly asked her “what is the difference between a user and someone who loves you” before calling her “prejudiced” and “selfish”.

“Just be blunt, what do you want from this friendship?” Zumbo asked the woman.

“I don’t know how to define the relationship. I thought we could continue going as we had. I thought we got along really well.”

“You are not fighting for this,” he said four times in a row.

The woman only left the car after she agreed to message him, according to the recording played to the court.

Crown prosecutor Shaun Croner asked the woman why she agreed she “valued the relationship” to Zumbo, to which she replied the only way to stop the conversation was to “give him what he wants”.

She added she tried to put in place “boundaries” but was afraid of the implications.

The hearing continues.