‘Held to a higher standard’: Prominent Melbourne lawyer Glenn Thexton groped teenager outside kebab joint

Prosecutors say a lawyer who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl outside a kebab shop should be held to a higher standard due to his profession.

Lawyer Glenn Thexton was found guilty of groping a teenager outside a kebab shop nearly six years ago. Picture: X

A prominent Melbourne lawyer who groped a teenager on a drunken night out should have known better, prosecutors say.

Glenn Thexton, 46, was found guilty of sexual assault after he grabbed a 17-year-old girl on the buttocks outside Queens Kebabs on King Street in Melbourne’s CBD nearly six years ago.

On Monday, prosecutor Matthew Fisher called for a large fine and conviction to be imposed, telling the pre-sentence hearing Thexton was an experienced criminal solicitor who would have known the consequences of his offending.

“If anyone should’ve been aware what constituted a sexual assault … it was the accused man,” he told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

“A drunk middle-aged man groping a teenage girl in public when all she was doing was socialising with her friends should be condemned by this court.

“He should be held to a higher standard given his profession.”

Lawyer Glenn Thexton said he would appeal the finding. Picture: Supplied

The prosecutor said Thexton, who maintains his innocence and plans to appeal, had shown no remorse or insight to his offending.

But he accepted his prospects of rehabilitation were good, noting no other allegations had emerged since the September 2019 incident.

Thexton was charged in October 2020, and while Mr Fisher acknowledged the “extraordinary delay” in the case, he said Thexton was largely to blame.

In his submissions, the self-represented Thexton, who was suspended from practicing law after he was charged, said more than $400,000 had been expended or taken from his legal practice as a result of the proceedings.

“I have nothing left after battling with this matter,” he said.

“It’s resulted in me drawing down all my superannuation and this matter has cost me everything.”

The former lawyer asked magistrate Andrew Waters not to impose a conviction, saying he had applied for hundreds of jobs but was “cut out of consideration” because a criminal record check revealed he had a pending charge.

The court heard he was previously found guilty and convicted of contempt of court after he changed the locks of his Melbourne office to stop a manager appointed by the Victorian Legal Services Board taking control of his firm following his legal suspension.

Thexton had been drinking with colleagues and was intoxicated when he groped the teenager shortly before 11pm on September 25, 2019.

The girl had been at an underage event at Cloud Nine nightclub and was outside the kebab shop with friends when they encountered Thexton who had earlier interacted with others from her group.

As he left, he walked behind the girl, who was standing with her friends on the steps, and grabbed her buttocks.

The incident was captured on CCTV from across the road, which obscured Thexton’s hand but showed him moving behind the victim.

In his police interview, Thexton said he had no recollection of the incident and only learned of the allegation after Crime Stoppers released a photo of him, later published in the media.

He contested the charge over several days of hearings late last year and early this year, claiming if any touching did occur, it was accidental and not sexual in nature.

But Mr Waters rejected his account, describing it as a “self-serving reconstruction” and found the charge proven in April.

After Monday’s hearing, Thexton told the Herald Sun he would appeal and looked forward to clearing his name.

“The actions of the Legal Services Commissioner mean that for Solicitors charged with any crime, the idea of innocent until proven guilty does not apply,” he said.

Thexton is expected to be sentenced on Friday.

Originally published as ‘Held to a higher standard’: Prominent Melbourne lawyer Glenn Thexton groped teenager outside kebab joint