West Melbourne real estate agent Steven Tabban sexually assaulted women in ‘after-hours’ interviews

A West Melbourne real estate agent interviewing a young woman for a job grabbed her hand and unzipped his pants, after earlier asking “what would you do to secure the role?”.

Steven Tabban at the Melbourne County Court. Picture: Wayne Taylor

A real estate boss has admitted unzipping his pants after earlier asking a young woman interviewing for a job: “What would you do to secure the role?”.

Steven Tabban, the director of Create Real Estate and a former Brimbank Council candidate, fronted the County Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two young women in separate incidents during “after hours” job interviews at his Sunshine office.

In one instance in November 2019, a then 19-year-old woman attended Tabban’s office believing she was being interviewed for a receptionist role.

The 38-year-old 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”.

Director of Create Real Estate Steven Tabban pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two young women. Picture: Wayne Taylor

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”.

But the woman refused and asked him if he would want something like that to happen to his daughter.

The woman was able to leave after someone knocked on the door, but Tabban continued asking her to perform the sex act saying it would “benefit her”.

In a separate incident a year earlier, Tabban asked a different woman, aged in her early 20s, 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.

Real estate boss Steven Tabban asked one woman what she would do to get ‘everything she wanted’. Picture: Facebook

Tabban then tried kissing her but she refused and told him she was uncomfortable before he stopped.

In a victim impact statement read out on her behalf on Tuesday, the woman said she had lost her drive and found it difficult to work due to Tabban’s offending.

“I feared facing another male one on one in a close space, fearing it would happen again,” she said.

“I started thinking all small business owners had the same personality as him.”

The woman involved in the other incident fought back tears and was comforted by her mother as she described how she was left traumatised by the sexual assault.

“Since that day, I barely ate, let alone sleep, because every time I closed my eyes I found myself back in that room in his grasp,” she said.

Judge Gregory Lyon commended the women for their courage in attending court and providing statements.

Tabban was a former Brimbank Council candidate. Picture: Facebook

Both incidents were reported to police, with Tabban admitting to some of his conduct during pretext phone calls set-up by investigators.

He later gave a “no comment” interview and his office was raided.

Prosecutor Richard Pirrie told the pre-sentence hearing Tabban’s offending was serious and he was in a position of power over the young women.

“The conduct was planned, it was after hours in effect, the complainants were placed in an isolated area,” he said.

But Judge Lyon said he was unlikely to impose a custodial sentence if Tabban, who has no criminal history, was able to successfully complete a sex offenders program.

“(Avoiding jail) will rely entirely on your motivation Mr Tabban,” he said.

Ironically, the real estate agent ran for Brimbank City Council in 2020, telling Star Weekly one of his main priorities was to see crime rates decrease.

Tabban, who is on bail and was supported in court by his heavily pregnant wife, will be sentenced later this year.