Joshua Olding sentenced for family assaults, telephone masturbation spree

A Tasmanian man who pleasured himself to the sound of female voices while phoning a call centre also assaulted three separate family members, a court has heard.

Summerhill masturbator Joshua Stephen Olding, 32. Picture: Facebook

A man who pleasured himself to the sound of female voices when phoning a call centre while intoxicated also assaulted three separate family members, a court has heard.

Summerhill man Joshua Stephen Olding, 32, previously pleaded guilty in Launceston Magistrates Court to eight Commonwealth charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence.

The court previously heard his offending involved placing dozens of calls to Aussie Broadband over an 18-month period – despite him having no account – and pleasuring himself loudly when a female operator had the misfortune of answering.

On Monday, he pleaded guilty to 13 additional offences committed between May 31 – June 17 this year, including, most seriously, three counts of common assault and four of injuring property.

On May 31 at Stieglitz, he helped himself to two beers belonging to his uncle and grandfather, the court heard.

This started a fracas that led Olding to damaging a fridge and vehicle, and assaulting his uncle by throwing an “empty can” at him, striking his shoulder. After his arrest, Olding conceded he got “aggro” and committed the offences, the court was told.

Launceston Magistrates Court. Picture: Katie Hall

On June 11, he assaulted two of his siblings by spitting at them after they told him to leave his mother’s residence at Prospect. His mother had a restraining order against Olding.

After he departed the residence in the wake of the assaults, he slammed the door, causing damage to a wall, punched out two panes of glass on the door proper, and damaged a vehicle’s wing mirror.

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Defence lawyer Andrew Lonergan said his client had been remanded in custody since June 17 – the day of his final bout of offending, which involved breaching his bail conditions.

Mr Lonergan told the court his client had complex mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, social anxiety, PTSD and personality disorder, for which he was now being medicated.

He said his client had effectively been homeless for approximately five years prior to his current offending, and had struggled to hold down steady employment.

Mr Lonergan submitted that both the assaults and injuring property charges were at the lower end of the scale of seriousness – although Magistrate Ken Stanton commented that spitting at people was a “vile act”.

Mr Stanton said the offending was caused “in part” by Olding’s mental health woes and as such his moral culpability was lessened.

He noted, however, Olding’s poor criminal history, including convictions for assault, grievous bodily harm and public indecency.

Mr Stanton sentenced Olding to eight weeks and two days’ imprisonment – time he has already served – and a 12-month community corrections order. Olding was also ordered to pay approximately $530 in court costs and levies, and compensation for the property he damaged.