Jason Yates pleads guilty at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court to sending girls vile picture of mother

A California Gully disability support worker tormented a woman in more than 1600 abusive text messages before sending her daughters an “intimate image” of their mother.

Jason Yates, 44, pleaded guilty at Bendigo Magistrates' Court to sending more than 1600 abusive messages to a woman.

A California Gully disability support worker sent more than 1600 abusive text messages to a woman before sending her daughters an “intimate image” of their mother.

Jason Yates, 44, pleaded guilty at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court to a campaign of abuse against a woman and her daughters.

In May 2023 Yates became “agitated due to marijuana withdrawal” and went on a rampage at the woman’s house, smashing his mobile phone on the ground and pounding his fists on the table, causing the items on it to bounce up and down.

Jason Yates of California Gully sent a two girls an intimate image of their mother in a vile act, a court heard. Picture: istock

The victim asked him to leave because he was scaring her, but he refused.

She called the police, and Yates followed her outside while she waited for them on her veranda, before she went back in and locked him out.

Yates demanded to be let back in, punching the porch light and banging on the front door with a chair for some time, smashing a glass pane, but took off before police could arrive.

Yates then proceeded to send the victim 1674 “very abusive” text messages between June and September and made 197 phone calls.

Yates’ campaign of abuse culminated with him sending both of the victim’s daughters an intimate image of their mother while saying vile things about her to the girls.

Yates’ lawyer asked for a therapeutic community sentence focusing on Yates being “educated against engaging in this type of conduct again”, like undergoing the Men’s Behaviour Change program.

Magistrate Treiu Huynh convicted and sentenced Yates to a 12 month community corrections order and fined him $1500.