Dwane Harding pleads guilty to injecting to teens with meth at Bendigo

He was a father of four whose vile offending led him to injecting two teenage girls meth, leaving them “craving ice and pipes” before he sexually attacked them.

Dwane Harding, 40, pleaded guilty in the County Court to supplying two teenage girls with methamphetamine in Bendigo. Picture: Supplied.

A Bendigo father of four got two young teen girls hooked on meth after injecting them with the drug — leaving them “craving ice and pipes — before sexually assaulting them, a court has heard

Dwane Harding, 40, pleaded guilty in the County Court to supplying two teenage girls with methamphetamine in Bendigo after he “helped them smoke meth” with a “crack pipe” and injected them with a syringe.

“My head was spinning, everything was blank … I didn’t know what was going to happen next, I was so scared,” one victim told the court.

Dwane Harding injected two teenage girls with meth.

“I remember Dwane holding the pipe to my mouth, lighting it for me to smoke.”

“Not long after that he took me into the bathroom and injected me in the arm five or more times followed by him trying to make out with me, touching me.”

He then dosed up her friend with meth, injecting her in the arm while she walked into the nearby bedroom, “dropped on my knees and curled up”.

“I thought I was going to die,” she said.

The girl who had only recently started high school said she and her friend were immediately hooked on meth and started seeking it out.

“I was left craving ice and pipes for the rest of my life,” she said.

Harding hooking the teen on meth had destroyed her life, the victim told the court. She was unable to attend school, eat or sleep.

Dwane Harding helped the girls “smoke meth” with a “crack pipe”.

Her mood was unstable and her struggle with her ice addiction affected every member of her family.

“I betrayed my mum, my dad, my sister and my boyfriend,” she said.

“I often wonder how my life would be now if this didn’t happen.”

Harding pleaded guilty after he accepted a sentence indication from Judge Peter Rozen of four years and seven months imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

After already serving 514 days in custody, Harding would be eligible for parole in 16 months.

Defence barrister Tim Sullivan argued “19 certificates” from educational and rehabilitative programs Harding had completed in custody alongside a letter to the court from the offender should “temper” the length of the non-parole period.

“When I think of these event I’m disgusted with myself, especially as a father of four,” Harding stated in his letter to Judge Rozen.

One teen told the court she was left addicted to meth because of Dwane Harding.

“I do regret supplying the girls drugs and my careless sexual groping of these girls.

“I know if I was sober this would not have occurred.”

Mr Sullivan said the letter was admittedly “self-serving”, but “really enlightening”, with Harding “facing his demons” and expressing his desire to change his life.

Harding plans to leave the “negative influence” of Bendigo and relocate to NSW where his former partner and children are, the court heard, with Mr Sullivan arguing the non-parole period should be more lenient to allow him to do so.

“He’s got some goals and he’s taken responsibility,” Mr Sullivan said.

Judge Rozen pointed to a second chance Harding was given in 2014 when he dodged jail for reckless conduct causing injury.

At the time he promised the presiding magistrate he would reconcile with his partner, get off the drugs and turn his life around.

“What is different this time?” Judge Rozen said.

Judge Rozen will hand down his sentence on June 13 at 9.30am.