Mark Richards: Former Riverina School employee pleads guilty to sexual assault

A 41-year-old father and former Riverina school employee had admitted he sexually assaulted a teenage girl.

A 41-year-old father who worked at a Riverina school has pleaded guilty to having sex with a teenage girl.

Mark Richards, 41, appeared via video link at Wagga District Court on Friday after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

Mark Richards pleaded guilty yo sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Richards pleaded guilty two counts of intentionally sexually touch child (aged between 10 and 16), a count of aggravated sexual intercourse with child (aged between 14 and 16), a count of travel/meet and groom child for unlawful sexual activity, two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, a count of handling explosives without a licence, and a count of possessing a prohibited drug.

Richards is accused of grooming a young girl while he was employed at a Riverina school before sexually assaulting her on numerous occasion between August 2019 and March 2020.

The court heard Richards was also in possession of three Zombie knives, a slingshot and a prohibited drug.

He was arrested at a Riverina caravan park on December 3, 2020, and taken to Tumut police station after a four-month long police investigation into the alleged incidents.

Judge Lerve cautioned the court noting that the charges were quite serious.

“From what I have seen over the material it is mid-range offending,” Judge Lerve said.

“It is a most serious charge given what it went on and the time it occurred.”

Richards’s defence told the court his client demonstrated some level of remorse.

“The offender does not regret the relationship that occurred between him and the victim but he does regret some of the things he did,” the court heard.

Judge Gordon Lerve slammed the defence stating, “You are saying he doesn’t regret the relationship, it was utterly inappropriate.”

The victim impact statement will be heard in Wagga District Court on October 11.