Fake TV executive Gertard Vamadevan fails to have jail sentence scrapped over vile phone calls

He posed as a TV executive and talent scout, even using pictures with celebrities to firm up his claims, but Gerard Vamadevan was nothing more than a vulgar pest who targeted unsuspecting women.

Gerard Cecil Vamadevan. Picture: A Current Affair

A fake TV executive who made hundreds of vulgar and sexually explicit phone calls to dozens of women over three years has failed to have his jail sentence overturned in the state’s highest court.

Gerard Cecil Vamadevan claimed he was “a talent scout for Channel 7” and an “agent for actors” to con many of the women, even using selfies with singers Natalie Bassingthwaite and Jack Vidgen to firm up his fake story.

However, Channel 7 has previously confirmed they have no affiliation with Vamadevan, with the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal hearing his claims were entirely fabricated for the purpose of deceiving the women into handing over their phone numbers.

It is not suggested Ms Bassingthwaite or Mr Vidgen had any affiliation with Vamadevan either, or were aware of his conduct.

Gerard Cecil Vamadevan pictured with former treasurer Joe Hockey. It is not suggested any people pictured in images with Vamadevan were affiliated with him, or were aware of his conduct. Picture: Facebook

Vamadevan pictured with former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell. Picture: Facebook

The court heard after enticing the women into handing over their contact details, Vamadevan would randomly and anonymously bombard the women with phone calls while drunk, calling them “dirty sluts”, “filthy whores” and telling them he was going to “piss in their mouths”.

While he was not previously acquainted with some of the women, several others he did know through social, family or work connections, the court heard.

On several occasions, Vamadevan threatened two commit horrific acts of violence, telling one mother he would “rape her daughter and cut her into pieces”.

In other phone calls, Vamadevan called the victims paedophiles and played a song titled “You’re a Paedophile” - a parody of the hit song “You’re Beautiful” by British singer James Blunt.

Vamadevan targeted 46 people in total, almost all of whom were women.

The 56-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of using a false identification to commit fraud and multiple counts of using a carriage service to harass over a three-year period between January 2018 and March 2022.

The court heard much of his offending occurred while he was on bail - then on a Commonwealth release order - for strikingly similar offences committed against other women in early 2019.

NSW District Court judge Paul McGuire SC sentenced Vamadevan to two years jail on the fresh charges but ordered his release on a recognisance bond after 15 months.

Vamadevan in a photo with pop star Natalie Bassingthwaighte. The court heard how Vamedevan would use the selfies to con women into believing he had industry connections. Picture: Facebook

Vamadevan and singer Guy Sebastian Picture: Facebook

Vamadevan appealed the decision in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, with his legal team arguing a community-based intensive correction order (ICO) was a more suitable punishment.

However, the five-judge panel on Friday rejected the sentence appeal, finding an ICO would have been too lenient given the circumstances of the case.

The panel was scathing of Vamadevan’s conduct in its published judgment, labelling his behaviour “persistent, pervasive, offensive, harassing, menacing and … cowardly”.

“We agree with the sentencing judge that gender-based harassment, sexualised intimidation and offensive anonymous communication cannot be tolerated in civilised society,” they wrote.

“Women are entitled to go about their lives without fear of being harassed and sexually intimidated by men, particularly one hiding behind the anonymity of mobile telephone calls.

“The insidious and pervasive nature of the applicant’s conduct must be met with condign punishment.”

The court heard Vamadevan told a psychologist he used alcohol to cope with extreme trauma stemming from his childhood in war-torn Sri Lanka and that he was drunk when he made the calls and has no memory of them.

However, the panel said it could not accept that all of the phone calls were made when Vamadevan was inebriated, noting some of them were “targeted, intentional and designed as retribution” to people he’d previously fallen out with.

With time served, Vamadevan will be released from custody in June 2025.