Paul Bent: Correctives officer guilty of workplace assaults

An old timer who managed hardened criminals inside courthouses as a correctives officer has had his unwanted behaviour towards female colleagues exposed.

An old timer who managed hardened criminals inside courthouses as a correctives officer each day has had his repeated unwanted behaviour towards female colleagues exposed.

Paul Leslie Bent, of Eagle Vale, was found guilty of six charges, including sexual touching and indecent assault, taking place on three separate women between late 2013 to 2020.

The court heard of the married man’s pattern of unwanted behaviour, including daily cheek kisses as a greeting, rubbing legs when sitting next to the victims and unwanted embraces, which ultimately escalated to the 69-year-old slapping two women on the bum.

Bent leaves the Downing Centre Court complex. Picture: Daniel McGookin

The first victim, after knowing Bent for a number of months as colleagues at Campbelltown Courthouse, told him to stop the kisses; however, the words of wisdom never sunk in for the older man.

Only months later he surprised her as she was completing desk work when he placed his hand on her lower back, or the top of her bum, and pulled her in close towards him.

“I don’t know why you think you can touch me like that,” the victim said. “I don’t want to hug you or kiss you.”

The court heard evidence by the victim that Bent explained his actions as simply “just trying to be friendly”, however denied the incident when interviewed by police. He was found guilty of assault.

Some of the offences took place inside Campbelltown Courthouse.

The unwanted behaviour continued with an opportunistic kiss just months later, when the victim was collecting an item from an office Bent was sitting in. As she grabbed the book, the older man grabbed her by both wrists and kissed her by surprise. The woman pointed at him and said “don’t kiss me, don’t touch me, I told you not to”. The court heard he never apologised for his actions. Bent was found guilty of indecent assault.

A year later, at Penrith Courthouse, Bent crossed paths with the victim on two more occasions and planted surprise kisses. On one occasion he kissed in front of two male colleagues with one remarking “gee, you’re smooth mate”. He was found guilty of two assault charges.

Bent also assaulted a woman at Penrith Courthouse.

In 2019, a second woman who also received daily kiss greetings from Bent, was escorting a prisoner into a courtroom through a narrow hallway when a stinging bottom slap landed on her. The woman said “don’t touch what you can’t afford” and he apologised. He was found guilty of assault.

Bent then struck a third victim, who he also regularly pecked on the cheek, cupping the bottom of a female colleague in a common room at Campbelltown Court last year. “You f**king b**ch, you got a good feel”, the woman said.

The court heard evidence Bent had dropped his keys as he was looking to attend to a task and accidentally collided with either the woman’s back or leg. Magistrate Jennifer Price found this explanation “implausible” and found him guilty of sexual touching.

Bent will be sentenced later this year, with his legal team flagging an application to have the matter dealt with under the Mental Health Act.

Originally published as Paul Bent: Correctives officer guilty of workplace assaults