Former Xavier College student Max Sasse fronts court over stalking charges
A popular Wah Wah Lounge DJ once described as “one of the hottest young talents around” stalked his ex-girlfriend and threatened to share explicit photos and videos of her on social media after their love went sour.
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A former Wah Wah Lounge DJ threatened to send nude pics and sexually explicit videos of his ex-girlfriend to his social media followers after their relationship hit the rocks.
Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court heard Max Sasse, 21, stalked his former flame and “bombarded” her with calls and messages following the breakdown of their two-year relationship last year.
The former Xavier College student — once described by an electro music site as “one of the hottest young talents around — called his ex a whopping 974 times in an 11-day period, badgering her about where she had been and who she with.
Terrified, his ex-partner went to the police to report Sasse’s behaviour and while she was there, he tried to call her 40 times.
Sasse, who has more than 2500 social media followers, pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-partner.
The ‘sexploitation’ threat came just two weeks after the budding Cheltenham music producer had been placed on a good behaviour bond for similar controlling behaviour towards the victim.
Magistrate Stephen Lee said psychologist reports showed Sasse had “put the focus on victim blaming and not acknowledging enough your role in this”.
“You tried to portray her as someone who precipitated all this and caused the offending by you,” he said.
“She has been bombarded by you with a lot of messaging and you’ve threatened to send intimate images around, which is a very serious matter and she was sufficiently alarmed to go to the police.
“Perhaps in the younger generation it’s not viewed as seriously as it should be … but that sort of threat to a young woman to send intimate images of her on social media, who knows where, who knows with what permanence, I view as a very serious matter.”
Mr Lee said Sasse was a very young offender and benefited from a very supportive family and his prospects of rehabilitation were “very good”.
“You’re a young man, very young, you’re learning about things as you mature into adulthood and your awareness now is much greater even than it was a few months ago,” he said.
Sasse was sentenced to an 18-month therapeutic community corrections order, which includes counselling and behavioural change programs.
He has also been fined $700.
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