Sunshine real estate agent fronts court over sexual offending

A sleazy Sunshine real estate agent asked two women for sexual favours in order to work for him during vile “out of hours” job interviews.

Disgraced real estate agent Steven Tabban was convicted and placed on a good behaviour bond after admitting to preying on two young women in his office.Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

A disgraced real estate agent has escaped jail for sexually assaulting two young women during “after hours” interviews including asking one “What would you do to secure the role?”.

The 38-year-old director of Create Real Estate, Steven Tabban, was convicted and placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond when he appeared for sentencing in the County Court in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Tabban, a former Brimbank Council candidate, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two young women in separate incidents during “after hours” job interviews at his Sunshine office in 2019.

His real estate licence has been revoked and he was asked to step down or resign by every group in Sunshine which he had contributed to for a number of years.

His victims attended the sentencing via video link.

Steven Tabban with his wife and their baby outside the County Court during his plea hearing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Tabban’s first victim was a 21-year-old who he asked in February 2019 what she would be willing to do to get “everything she wanted”.

He then suggested she run around the office naked and screaming “Create is great”.

The woman, who was desperate for the interview to end, refused and asked if there was anything else she could do.

“I have something in mind,” Tabban replied.

He told the woman to sit in his lap before he placed his hand over her thigh and under her armpit. Tabban then tried kissing her but she refused and told him she was uncomfortable before he stopped.

In November of that year, a then 19-year-old woman attended Tabban’s office believing she was being interviewed for a receptionist role.

Tabban told the woman she would be interviewed with another applicant at the same time, but they would be kept in separate rooms.

He then asked her “What would you do to secure the role?” to which she replied she would put in extra hours.

Tabban left before returning and saying the other applicant had offered “a full body massage and a hand job”.

Real estate boss Steven Tabban ran for Brimbank City Council in 2020, telling a local publication one of his main priorities was to see crime rates decrease.. picture: Facebook

The woman told him she was not willing to do that, but Tabban said he would tell the other applicant she had made a better offer.

They discussed an employment contract before Tabban told the woman she needed to come into a back room to give him a massage.

The woman complied but when she asked about finishing the contract, Tabban laughed and said: “You have to finish your end of the bargain?”

He then grabbed the woman’s hand before unzipping his pants and saying “you don’t have to give me a blow job, just give me a hand job”. The woman refused.

“The community has made it clear for many years now that repugnant male practices in workplaces will no longer be tolerated, whether they are sexual harassment, bullying, inequality, discrimination and this which I characterise it as predatory sexual conduct,” Judge Gregory Lyon said.

In their victim impact statements, the victims described his offending as a frightening and uncomfortable experience which has had a detrimental effect on their self image and confidence.

Judge Lyon said Tabban’s inappropriate conduct involved considerable planning on his part and that there was power, age and gender imbalance between him and his victims.