Footy thug Steven Robert Elworthy jailed for stalking women
He spat on and gouged the face of a footy fan and stalked Melbourne great David Schwarz. Now this footy thug has been jailed for more sickening crimes.
Law & Order
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A footy thug who once stalked AFL champion David Schwarz has been jailed after relentlessly targeting women on internet dating sites.
Serial stalker Steven Robert Elworthy, 45, was given a chance to avoid prison on a community-based order in June last year for the stalking offences against three victims.
But days later he breached it — stalking one of the women again.
Elworthy has a significant criminal history and has previously served jail time.
Early last year, Elworthy was jailed for 45 days over an assault on Richmond cheer squad leader Brett Beattie — a regular caller to SEN radio better known as “Trout from Woodend”.
The Geelong supporter spat on and gouged the face of Mr Beattie during a game at Kardinia Park in August 2017.
In 2012, he was also jailed for stalking Mr Schwarz, a radio host and former Melbourne player, repeatedly pestering him with calls on his mobile phone.
Mr Elworthy, who called himself “Brad from Eltham”, initially contacted Schwarz on SEN talkback radio in 2007.
Schwartz said calls to his mobile phone began after he denied Mr Elworthy tickets to a charity golf game.
The latest set of charges involved Elworthy bombarding his three female victims with messages — all whom he had met on an online dating website — after their relationships had ended.
He would often sign off his messages “D N T”, referring to the names, Des and Troy, he called his biceps while they were dating.
In the six months to January 2018, he repeatedly emailed, texted and called one of his victims, even showing up uninvited at her home and workplace.
One woman, in a victim impact statement, revealed how she lived in constant fear.
“I’ll never feel safe again — not ever,” she said.
On his release on the community-based order, the court heard Elworthy contacted one of his victims again.
He pleaded guilty to one count of stalking and three counts of breaching court-based orders.
Judge Meredith said Elworthy had a “significant prior history” which included 11 stalking convictions, and other related offences including using a carriage service to harass.
He has served jail before, but also received suspended sentences and community-based orders.
County Court Judge Gavan Meredith this week sentenced Elworthy to just over two years behind bars.
Judge Meredith told Elworthy that he had to jail him to protect the community.
Schwarz told the Herald Sun in 2012 he had spent years of “constantly looking over (his) shoulder” due to Elworthy’s behaviour.
“He has my personal details, including my phone number and home address, which causes us great distress in that we don’t know what could happen next,” Schwarz said.
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Mr Beattie said Elworthy “hunted” him down at Kardinia Park, with security footage showing the obsessive man waiting at the back of the cheer squad.
“He attacked me because I was an SEN caller. I didn’t know him, he actually came down screaming and carrying on and saying, “Where is Trout from Woodend, where is he?” Mr Beattie told the Herald Sun.
“And he sprayed me for about 40 seconds, gave me a (verbal) blast … and he spat in my face and my eye and my mouth.”
Mr Beattie, 53, said he held on to the enraged Elworthy who then tried to punch him before the pair tumbled down the stairs.
“And he started gouging my face so I tried to get him off and he got ripped off and the coppers got him,” he said.