Collingwood icon admits child sex abuse

Former Collingwood cheer squad leader Joffa Corfe has admitted to sickening sex acts with a young boy after luring the teen to his Coburg home.

Collingwood icon Jeffrey “Joffa” Corfe has admitted sickening sex acts against a 14-year-old boy – but he is set to avoid jail for his crimes.

Corfe, 62, pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 – a rolled up charge involving two acts with the boy at his Coburg home on January 29, 2005 – in Victoria’s County Court on Wednesday.

He had previously denied the allegations when charged in May last year and a trial date had been set for next year.

The court heard Corfe used and alias when communicating with the teen via email and MSN Messenger. Picture: Getty Images

But he entered his guilty plea after a series of hearings were held last week that the Herald Sun was unable to report, where he applied for a sentencing indication if he was to admit the single charge.

On Friday, Judge Gerard Mullaly accepted submissions by Corfe’s lawyer Christopher Terry that a wholly suspended jail term would be an appropriate punishment.

Judge Mullaly said the offending was a “one-off event” for Corfe, who then went on to live a life of good character and make contributions to the community.

“The law is to protect young people … because their vulnerability can be exploited,” Judge Mullaly said.

But he told Corfe that if he pleaded guilty, he would sentence him to a 12-month jail term that would be wholly suspended for two years.

It means if Corfe – one of the Pies’ most recognisable supporters and former cheer squad leader – behaves himself for the two-year period, then he will not spend one night behind bars.

A gag order prohibited the Herald Sun from reporting the details until today.

The court heard Corfe was aged 44 at the time of the offending, but claimed he was 30 years old and used an alias when he began communicating with the teen via email and MSN messenger.

He later invited him to his home to have oral sex.

“Do you still like getting head and what do you look like, champ?” Corfe wrote in one message to the boy.

He handed over his address to which the boy decided to attend.

But the teen left “upset”, the court heard, and sent an email to his abuser afterwards expressing that what he had done was wrong.

Corfe replied and agreed with his victim.

Mr Terry had asked for a “merciful” sentence, citing Corfe’s poor health, “dislocated upbringing” and his contributions to society and lack of further offending.

The prosecution had pushed for Corfe to be jailed, saying the complainant was “significantly traumatised” by the offending.

Corfe appeared via videolink from Queensland, where he now lives, for the 9am arraignment.

His bail was extended, but he was told he would have to fly to Melbourne for a pre-sentencing hearing in February, where his victim wanted to eyeball him in court and read out a statement on how his crimes had impacted his life.