Armstrong Creek’s Luke Suckling pleads guilty to sex assault, found guilty of child sex offending

He worked as a cattle farmer and he drove big rigs. But he was hiding a filthy secret that has finally been revealed.

Luke Suckling pleaded guilty to sexually touching a woman. Facebook.

A former Victorian cattle farmer exposed as serial sicko after he violated a German backpacker and begged her “don’t tell anyone” or he’ll lose his kids has been jailed.

Luke Suckling, 38, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a minimum four years and six months’ jail after pleading guilty to intentionally sexually touching a woman.

Suckling, who was earlier found guilty of charges including sexual penetration of a person and indecent act with a child under 16, violated the traveller in 2017.

The court heard Suckling snuck into his victim’s bedroom and into her bed.

The victim said she woke to a noise and found Suckling in her bed.

Suckling, who court heard was drunk, breathing heavily and sweaty, sexually touched his victim.

The victim told ‘Luke’ to leave her room.

“I’m not Luke,” Suckling said.

“Then what the f**k is going on here,” the victim said.

“Please don’t tell anyone … I don’t want to lose my kids,” Suckling said.

Suckling told police he didn’t remember being remember being in the bed.

The court the victim has since returned to Germany.

Suckling also violated another victim while he worked as a dairy farmer at a property near Echuca in the mid-2000s.

The former Geelong-based truck driver committed a lewd act on the victim then told her “don’t tell” because it was an “accident”, the County Court was told in December last year.

The victim “froze” and cried after Suckling violated her, the court heard.

Suckling apologised to his victim then told the child to “not tell anyone”.

The victim, who tearfully read her victim impact statement to the court, said Suckling left her “completely broken”.

“People exposed to trauma are better off they’re stronger and more resilient because of their experience … that is what most people have said to me …,” the victim said.

“No, they didn't know who I was before you touched me, I am not stronger I am weak, I am not more resilient I am broken …

“What you did to me has left me mentally disabled.

“Completely broken, feeling worthless, embarrassed, completely ashamed of my body that I am no longer connected to …”

The defence submitted Suckling had a medical condition which disallowed him from driving trucks for a living.

The court was told Suckling, who left school after Year 10, maintained a solid employment history up until his recent remand.

Suckling, who chanced his arm at trial but was found guilty, has not seen his biological children since February 2019, the court heard.

Suckling received multiple references from family and friends including his partner Holly Suckling, his brother Adam Sobey and family friend Craig Atkinson.

The court heard Suckling, of Armstrong Creek, was a “charismatic and honest” man who was also a “proud and driven family man”.

Mr Atkinson, in his “glowing” reference, said Suckling was “one of the kindest guys” he’d ever met.

Judge Greg Lyon jailed Suckling for a maximum six years and 10 months.

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Originally published as Armstrong Creek’s Luke Suckling pleads guilty to sex assault, found guilty of child sex offending