Glen Coster jailed after child sexual assault in Batemans Bay

A former Scoutmaster who admitted to sexually touching a young boy during a camping trip on the NSW south coast in the 1980s has been jailed for the “terrifying” offence.

Glen Coster was sentenced to full time custody.

A former Scoutmaster has been jailed after he “smashed to pieces” the innocence of a child by indecently assaulting him during a south coast camping trip more than 40 years ago.

The victim, who is now an adult, provided a harrowing written statement during the sentencing of Glen Coster, 63, in Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting and committing indecent assault on a child.

The sentencing arose after Coster – a Scoutmaster in his early 20s at the time of the offence – took a 14-year-old victim and three other young boys on a camping trip in his mini-van from their home in Loch, Victoria, up and around NSW in the early 1980s.

Documents tendered to the court reveal it was during this trip when Coster sexually assaulted the 14-year-old boy scout while the group stayed at a caravan park in Batemans Bay.

Glen Coster sexually touched and indecently assaulted the boy.

Agreed facts state on one night during the trip, Coster placed his hand down the 14-year-old boy’s sleeping bag, slipping his fingers into his underpants and playing with the boy’s genitals.

The actions woke the boy, who uncomfortably “groaned and stirred”, causing Coster to remove his hand.

Glen Coster was sentenced in Batemans Bay Local Court.

However, later in the night, Coster again placed his hand down the sleeping bag of the 14-year-old boy, this time touching the boy’s anus.

The young boy stirred and groaned, causing the 22-year-old to again remove his hand, before he continued to rub the boy’s genitals above the sleeping bag.

The next morning, the group returned to their homes in Victoria where documents reveal the young man kept the offences to himself for over 30 years.

Documents reveal it wasn’t until 2017 when the former boy scout told his wife, parents and brother about the camping trip.

The matter was reported to Victorian police the same year and after six years of extensive investigations, Coster, now 63, was contacted and charged by the NSW police.

In court on Monday, Magistrate Michael Love read a statement from the victim, who wrote that they still remembered the assault perfectly.

“There were no phones to call my parents, I was completely under control of [Coster],” the victim wrote.

“I was horrified someone I considered to be my friend would do this.

“I was just a care free, innocent kid who had that innocence smashed into pieces in one night.”

Despite the serious nature of the offence, Coster’s lawyer Geoffrey Knox said his client did not deserve full time custody, as a sentencing assessment report deemed him low risk of reoffending.

“He has not committed an offence since,” Mr Knox said.

He also submitted the father and grandfather already suffered enough after a report put out by this publication revealed details of the offence.

“I don’t know why matters in Batemans Bay should be nationally published,” Mr Knox said.

Mr Knox then submitted – while Coster admitted to the offence – he could not remember the exact details due to the long time which has since passed.

“He totally understands the psychological trauma such an act could impose on a person,” he said.

However, the magistrate said given the details and the victim’s statement, a jail term was the only appropriate punishment.

“This trip was undertaken and organised by [Coster] who was able to become friends with the victim through scouts,” he said.

“He clearly abused trust.”

Coster was convicted and sentenced to 10 months full time custody, four months without parole.

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