Red Cliffs grub Laurie Oliver sentenced for grooming underage girls, sending teens sexual content in sick offending

A Red Cliffs predator exploited social media and gaming platforms to target underage girls, sending them explicit sexual material and encouraging them to do the same, a court has heard.

Laurie Oliver was sentenced to 12 months behind bars after grooming multiple teenage girls and sending sexually explicit content to them. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

A Red Cliffs predator who sexually preyed on children has destroyed lives and robbed victims of their sense of safety, a court has heard.

Laurie Oliver, 19, fronted Mildura Magistrates’ Court, where he was jailed for 12 months on charges including grooming a child under the age of 16 and sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Oliver messaged several other underage girls on other social media, some as young as 15, meeting them through the first victim during January and February of this year.

CCTV footage showed Oliver meeting with one girl and hugging and embracing her in a pool for more than an hour.

Oliver told one victim during one chat he had been wrongfully convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl.

Oliver sent one of his underages victim’s a picture of his penis and encouraged her to send him sexual content. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

He sent another victim a picture of his penis and encouraged her to send him sexual content. He also expressed his desire to have sex with that victim.

Oliver was arrested on March 18 and a search of his Red Cliffs bungalow found his laptop with several chats with various underage girls where he was trying to organise to meet up with them.

Victim impact statements were read in court today detailing the destructive aftermath of Oliver’s offending on both the victims and their families.

“The charges before the court don’t convey the seriousness of this matter and the damage this person has caused … women and girls shouldn’t need to go through this,” one victim impact statement read

“I don’t know how to help my daughter overcome this … I have so much anger toward (Oliver) for what he has done to these girls and to us,” the father of another victim said via a victim impact statement.

Oliver sat emotionless on an AV Link as the victim impact statements were read out and he was sentenced. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

The mother of a third victim said her daughter carried “deep shame” and “affected her confidence and self worth.”

Oliver, sporting a ponytail, sat fiddling with a toy, looking away from the camera and emotionless as the victim impact statements were read out.

Magistrate Patrick Southey said protection of the community loomed large in his sentencing.

It was revealed in court Oliver’s offending breached a community corrections order handed down by the County Court for similar offending in 2024.

Oliver targeted his teenage victims through social media and gaming platforms. Picture: Generic

A report from a professor suggested he might not be a pedophile, but finds it easier to communicate with younger people because of his mental health issues.

“I take into account your guilty plea. Had you not pleaded guilty, I would have sentenced you to 18 months behind bars, with a nine-month non-parole period,” Mr Southey said.

Oliver was sentenced to 12 months behind bars with a six months on parole period, with 94 days reckoned as time served.

He will be on the sex offenders register for life and will be subject to a five-year prohibition order when he is released that limits his social media and gaming platform activity.