A WARRACKNABEAL father who repeatedly showed a woman a photograph of his genitals could be sentenced this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Aaron Boyd pleaded guilty in Horsham Magistrates Court on April 27 to stalking another person and six counts of behaving in an offensive manner in a public place.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Michelle Wentworth told the court Boyd visited a Warracknabeal supermarket on multiple occasions between June 27 and July 31 where the same woman served him.
Senior Constable Wentworth said Boyd visited the supermarket on June 27 and his jeans were undone and his genitals exposed.
She said on six occasions during July, Boyd showed the woman a naked photograph on the screen of his mobile phone. On each occasion, the woman chose to ignore the incident.
Senior Constable Wentworth said Boyd and the woman were not known to each other and Boyd’s actions had made the woman feel annoyed and confused and made her “hate middle-aged men” because she knew he had a family.
Warracknabeal police arrested Boyd on August 4 and seized his mobile phone and iPad. He was interviewed and released pending summons.
Senior Constable Wentworth said throughout the interview he denied showing the woman the images and said he had them for personal use to share with his wife.
Boyd’s wife and three-week-old daughter along with his parents, siblings and other supporters filled half the courtroom during his appearance.
Melissa Schilling, representing Boyd, called for the penalty of a community corrections order.
Magistrate Mark Stratmann agreed to assess Boyd for the order and adjourned the matter to May 11.
“The offences can only be put down to … a four-week conglomeration of moments of madness,” Ms Schilling told the court.
“There is nothing to be gained but heartache and misery and embarrassment and shame.”
Mr Stratmann said Boyd was a long-term resident of the town with strong references who had experienced recent family pressures – but he said nothing explained the “extremely bizarre behaviour”.
He said the woman had been “moderate” in her statement and was simply shocked by the bizarre nature of Boyd’s behaviour.
Mr Stratmann said he would rule on an application for a forensic sample when Boyd returned to the court.
Acknowledging Boyd’s family and friends beside him at court, Mr Stratmann said their support was part of the reason Boyd would be assessed for a work order.
“You have made the most amazingly silly mistake,” Mr Stratmann told Boyd.
“You would not want your own daughters to be subjected to this kind of behaviour and that goes without saying. So what’s the excuse? A brain snap? Possibly.
“But by putting yourself in this position, you now come before a courtroom in the state of Victoria that you have never been in before, charged with things that could put you in jail.
“The victim has made, in my view, a very reasonable statement but it’s certainly unnerved her and she doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.”