By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A CASEY man has claimed his house was trashed in retaliation for publicly releasing a sex video of his ex-partner, a court has heard.
The 29-year-old self-employed carpenter pleaded guilty to distributing material contrary to community standards and acceptable conduct at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 8 August.
He admitted to sending the mutually consensual sex video to two of his friends out of anger, and then contacting his ex-partner to apologise on 22 May.
His lawyer said the accused had “exploded” when he found out his ex-partner had cheated on him for “extensive periods” during their two-year “on-and-off” relationship.
“He immediately regretted his decision. He was angry; he wanted to get back at her.”
The lawyer said that after the incident, the man’s house was broken into and sustained $100,000 of damage to the extent that it was “unliveable”.
Casey police were investigating the property damage, the court was told.
The man was living at a new address while still paying a $1600 monthly mortgage on the trashed house plus $1500 a month for a factory to store his goods.
“He has already suffered some form of punishment,” the lawyer said.
The man had also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from another attack to his house in 2014.
The man, who had never before fronted court, was also seeing a psychologist over his anger issues, his lawyer said.
Magistrate Gerard Bryant retorted saying the submitted psychologist report didn’t address the accused’s offending.
Mr Bryant questioned whether the man’s apology to his ex was genuine remorse or “akin to crocodile tears”.
He said the man’s purpose was to shame his victim by sharing the “intimate” video with people not party to it.
“That is unacceptable behaviour. We live in an age in which technology allows us to share information at the push of a button.
“We need to … stop and think of the consequences before we say or share something online that can be deeply hurtful.”
Mr Bryant noted the accused’s plea of guilty and absence of prior convictions.
The man was put on a 12-month good behaviour bond without conviction.
He was ordered to write a “heartfelt” apology to the victim, complete an anger management course and donate $300 to the court’s charitable fund.
