Mildura Magistrates’ Court: Geoffrey Stevens performed sex act in front of a nine-year-old

A Mildura grub who exposed himself and performed a sex act in front of a nine-year-old girl tried to tell the police the abuse “didn’t happen”.

Geoffrey Stevens has fronted Mildura Magistrates’ Court after he performed a sex act in front of a nine-year-old child in the 1990s.

A Mildura man who performed sickening act in front of a nine-year-old has told police the incidents “didn’t happen”.

Geoffrey Stevens appeared in Mildura Magistrates’ Court on October 23 after he performed an indecent act in front of a child under 16 almost 30 years ago.

The court heard the victim wrote a blog post in 2021, detailing the abuse which dated back to when they were nine years old, later reporting the incident to police.

The victim told police they had been at Stevens’ Mildura home on the day of the incident, drawing with chalk outside.

After looking at the drawings, Stevens told the victim to “come inside, I want to show you something”.

The victim said they felt “anxious”, as their parents had told them not to go into an adult’s bedroom, however Stevens led them into the spare bedroom.

“He was pulling my hand,” the victim said.

“I knew it wasn’t right.”

The court heard Stevens took the victim into the spare room and said, “I want to show you something”.

He then unbuckled his belt and pulled down his pants before performing a sex act.

Stevens told the victim multiple times to “watch him”.

“I was very uncomfortable, I knew it was very bad.”

The victim told the court they tried to turn away, but Stevens “kept telling them to watch him”.

Stevens used a hanky, before pulling his pants up and walking out of the room.

The victim said they were standing just 1m apart.

“He undid his belt straight away when he got into the room,” the victim said.

“I could see everything.”

The victim also said Stevens told them “not to tell anyone. It’s our secret”.

The court heard the incident lasted “no longer than 10 minutes”.

The victim told a school friend, who also gave evidence to police and the court.

Stevens told police in 2021 that the incident “didn’t happen”.

He told police on the day of the offending, he had been having a shower and thought he was alone.

“I didn’t realise anyone else was on the premises,” he said.

“I towelled off as I normally do and walked into the bedroom, (the victim) was standing there.”

“After this occurred, locks went on all the doors inside the house,” he said.

In court on Monday, Magistrate Michael Coghlan said he found the victim to be a “reliable and honest witness”.

“I found the evidence of (the victim) detailed and compelling,” he said.

“They gave evidence with significant particularity.”

Mr Coghlan found the charge alleged against Stevens proven.

Stevens will return to court on November 27 to enter a plea.