Liam Jones fronts court for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old

A Croydon grub besotted with a 14-year-old boy who he supplied booze and drugs to before sexually penetrating him said he’d kill himself if the teen stopped talking to him.

Croydon man Liam Jones has gone to jail for plying a 14-year-old boy he was attracted to with drugs and booze before sexually penetrating him.

A deviant who was on the sex offenders register plied a 14-year-old boy he was attracted to with booze and illicit drugs before sexually penetrating him, a court has heard.

Liam Jones, 36, of Croydon, fronted the County Court on Monday when he was sentenced to four years’ and three months’ jail on charges of sexual penetration and sexual assault.

The court heard that Jones supplied the boy with alcohol, cannabis, LSD and GHB and told the victim he had “am amazing, hot 14-year-old body” before sexually assaulting him in 2022.

Judge Peter Lauritsen said between September and December 2022, Jones messaged the boy on Snapchat and told him he’d bring new drugs for him to try.

“You told him you loved him, he was the only reason you lived, and if he stopped talking to you, you’d kill yourself. It was a powerful threat and it did succeed.”

Melbourne man Liam Jones messaged a 14-year-old boy he sexually penetrated that he loved him and would kill himself if the teenager stopped talking to him.

Jones and the boy smoked cannabis from a bong and requested the boy perform oral sex on him which he did.

Judge Lauritsen said the aggravating factors included the significant age gap between Jones and the boy, protracted grooming that contained threats of harm and the fact Jones failed to inform police about his contact with a person under 16.

In 2016, Jones was convicted of committing an indecent act with a child under 16 and sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order. He was placed on the sex offenders register and was required to inform police of any contact with a person under 16.

The judge said a psychologist doubted Jones’ expression of remorse, regret and shame given his tendency to deflect blame of his offending on others.

Jones left school after completing Year 10, started using cannabis when he was 11 and methamphetamine when he turned 23, he said.

Jones will be eligible for parole after serving two years and nine months behind bars.