Court: Shepparton’s Angus Johnston, 30, pleads guilty to three counts of sexual assault

A Shepparton man attacked a Thai masseuse after demanding sex before sexually assaulting a female taxi driver and a railway station cleaner in a frenzied night of offending.

Angus Johnston, 30, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault in the Shepparton County Court.

A Shepparton man assaulted a Thai masseuse after demanding sex, attacked a female taxi driver and molested a railway station cleaner during a night of terror.

Angus Johnston, 30, pleaded guilty in the Shepparton County Court to three counts of sexual assault, along with one charge of theft, aggravated burglary and intentionally causing injury.

Johnston, who appeared via video link from Hopkins Prison, assaulted three victims, a masseuse, a taxi driver and a cleaner during a frenzied evening on October 8, 2022, in which he was on a “cocktail” of drugs.

Johnston assaulted his first victim at a Thai massage parlour after entering the back door.

He demanded sex, but the victim told him she only does massages, the court heard.

Johnston continued to demand sex, saying “I’ve got money, I can pay” and when she continued to refuse his advances, he said “I can give you more money”.

After the victim began to panic, Johnston grabbed her breasts, pulled at her clothing and began rubbing her vagina.

The victim yelled “we have CCTV”, startling Johnston to leave, and police were called in the aftermath.

Angus Johnston sexually assaulted three women in one evening.

Later that evening, Johnston assaulted a taxi driver after getting in her vehicle at the Shepparton railway station.

Johnston entered the back seat of the car, with a customer already in the front seat.

He grabbed the cab driver from behind, and began kissing her, before she blasted the horn, yelling “get off me … get the (sic) out of my cab”, before he fled.

The third victim was a cleaner who had just finished her shift at the railway station.

As she drove out of the car park, Johnston, donned in full black clothing, waved at her.

She slowed to a stop to avoid hitting him, and Johnston got in the car.

The victim yelled for him to get out of the car, but Johnston replied “I’ll give you a grand”.

Johnston, visibly intoxicated to the victim, said he would kill himself because of what he had done, the court heard.

Due to his mental fragility, the victim offered Johnston a lift home, and he climbed into the passenger seat.

The victim’s manager pulled up in the car next to them and asked if she was OK and she said she was giving Johnston a lift home.

Johnston continued crying, apologised and introduced himself, before asking her to pull over.

After a few minutes, Johnston began asking questions like “are you single” before saying “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve got two grand and a big d--k”, the court heard.

He then began kissing her, climbed on her and rotated between kissing and biting her chin and lips.

Angus Johnston. Picture: Facebook

The victim, now bleeding due to his assault, twisted away from him and managed to call her boss that had seen them earlier.

A victim impact statement read to the court by one of the victim’s said she struggles to sleep, has nightmares and is scared to go anywhere alone.

“I don’t want to die … But I do want to disappear and stop existing until my head is not a mess”.

The victim said the scar on her face was a “permanent reminder” of what happened to her.

The court heard that Johnston’s offending was an “escalation” relative to prior offending, and that he had recently broken up with his partner.

Judge John Kelly said that while he may be remorseful for his actions, wondered why it had not translated “to something concrete, such as a letter of ownership or remorse to these victims”.

The court heard Johnston lived a “chaotic life” with a difficult upbringing, and was engaging himself well in “cultural activities’ in prison.

Johnston has served 661 days in pre-sentenced detention.

Johnston will be sentenced on September 4 at 9:30am at the Melbourne County Court.