Man accused of grooming, sexual acts with children granted bail by Rockhampton court
A Central Queensland man who police allege groomed and had a “sexual relationship” with one 14-year-old girl and went on to target another has fronted court.
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A Central Queensland man accused of grooming a child and having sex with her claims he didn’t touch her until she turned 16.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, allegedly stalked the girl at her workplace and went on to kiss and give “love bites” to another girl, aged 14, the Supreme Court in Rockhampton heard.
During the 28-year-old man’s bail application on May 22, Justice Graeme Crow said the defendant first met the first girl when she was 13 and he was 23.
Crown prosecutor Cameron Keast said the first complainant alleged the sexual encounters started when she was 14 and she kept notes about them.
He said the second complainant alleged she was 14 and he was 27 when he gave her love bites and kissed her.
The defendant has been charged with one count of grooming a child to procure for sexual acts, three of carnal knowledge, nine of indecent treatment of a child under 16 years, one of possessing child exploitation material, one of recordings breaching privacy and one of stalking.
He is also charged with one count of indecent treatment of a child under 16 relating to the second teen.
The court heard the relationship between the man and the first complainant, after she turned 16, was “common knowledge”.
Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client would be contesting all of the charges for the allegations from the first complainant but would be pleading guilty to the one charge involving the second complainant.
She said the evidence for the stalking charge was weak and involved the defendant driving past her workplace several times.
Ms Willey said her client didn’t know where the complainant worked and the road in question was a busy one that he used to get to his own workplace.
Justice Crow agreed with the argument the evidence in the stalking allegation was weak.
He granted the defendant bail as “there was little prospect the matter will be dealt with within 12 months and potentially much longer, potentially up to two years”.
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Originally published as Man accused of grooming, sexual acts with children granted bail by Rockhampton court
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