Toowoomba man Aaron Scott Hearn, 37, pleads guilty to indecent treatment of a child

A young girl was left scared to leave home after she was attacked by a man she tried to help.

Aaron Scott Hearn, 37, pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child under 16 before Toowoomba District Court on Thursday March 27, 2025.

After she lent him a helping hand, a Toowoomba man betrayed the trust of a kind-hearted 13-year-old leaving her “sick to her stomach”.

Aaron Scott Hearn, 37, pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child under 16 before Toowoomba District Court on Thursday after he sexually touched a 13-year-old girl without her consent.

The court heard the girl and her family were heading to the Toowoomba Winter Wonderland when they realised they left some belongings behind, prompting the girl to go home to retrieve them.

Spotting her walking alone, Hearn approached the girl and asked for a glass of water and to use her toilet, to which she generously agreed.

The court heard the girl trusted Hearn, who had been sleeping rough in the nearby park, as her stepfather had previously given the man sugar, water and coffee in an act of goodwill.

Crown prosecutor Perian Cardiff said Hearn, while walking up the driveway, referred to the 13-year-old as ‘sexy’ and ‘baby’ then tried to move close to her, but she moved away.

“When he came out of the bathroom, (they exited the property), she went to lock the front door and turned her back to him.

“He put his hands on her hips, she moved his hands (away), and then he moved his hands between her legs.”

Ms Cardiff said Hearn then rubbed his hand over the young girl’s privates over her clothing.

The girl told Hearn to “f*** off” and pushed him away but he again tried to grab her.

She then ran to her parents who confronted Hearn and called police; Hearn fled the scene and was found some weeks later.

“Aaron Hearn has made me feel uncomfortable around males,” the young girl wrote in a victim impact statement.

“I refused to go out in public for roughly two weeks after the incident.

“No words could describe how he made me feel while he did it and how he did it.

“The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

“I only thought I was being nice that day when I gave him a cup of water, I didn’t realise there was a drinking fountain right near (where he slept).”

In written statements, the girl’s parents said they had moved house as the young girl no longer felt safe in her home, with her mother stressing her daughter “should not have to live in fear”.

The court heard Hearn entered his guilty plea on the morning of proceedings after previously indicating he would fight the charge, meaning the young girl was forced to ready evidence and travel on multiple occasions to prepare for a trial that never came to be.

Defence barrister John Davis said Hearn had an unsettled childhood, never finishing primary school, and struggled with drug abuse from a young age.

“He describes growing up here, there and everywhere,” Mr Davis said.

“He grew up in and around the streets.”

Judge Benedict Power KC condemned Hearn for his cruel and menacing acts towards a family who had offered him a helping hand.

“They were kind to you,” he said.

“You were trusted enough, because of your association with the family, that she let you into the house.

“(Their) statements just demonstrates how sexual abuse of a child, particularly when it arises from some degree of trust – which is the case here, the damage can echo through the family.”

Hearn was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, declared wholly served after spending 460 days in pre-sentence custody.

He will be ordered to report under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act.