By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An 18-year-old Berwick woman has been charged over allegedly forcing a 15-year-old boy into sex with her, then embarking on a stalking campaign of the “terrified” victim for months.
The university student had allegedly forced the boy into his first sexual experience in a park in Berwick in November, a Dandenong Magistrates’ Court bail hearing heard on 10 April.
At her insistence, the boy later allegedly followed her “list of rules” by sneaking silently into her family home for another encounter in her bedroom.
He was ordered not to speak during the rendezvous, so as not to alert her father, the court heard.
After he tried to break off relations, the woman allegedly hit him, and stalked and harassed the boy by phone, text and Facebook over several months – once telling him to kill himself.
Several times, she allegedly threatened to Facebook-post a picture of him naked and aroused, as well as to change her profile pic to one of the boy and his family.
The harassment continued after he applied for a full intervention order in February to “stop her coming after him”, informant Senior Constable Rhonda Ebbott told the court.
In approaching police, the boy didn’t want to press charges for the woman’s sexual offences, the court heard.
Sen Const Ebbott told the court she twice contacted the accused in one day, but when confronted the woman said would not again harass the victim.
Two days later, the woman and two men allegedly bashed the boy at a party in Clayton. The woman was dragged away as she was kicking him in the head, the court heard.
“The victim believes she won’t stop breaking the (intervention) order for any reason,” Sen Const Ebbott said.
“She’s shown complete disregard for it already. He’s terrified that she’ll continue to break it.”
The woman was charged with nine counts of sexual penetration of a child under 16, stalking, three counts of breaching an interim intervention order, as well as inciting suicide and affray.
Sen Const Ebbott said police believed the woman, if released on bail, would put the complainant, his family and friends at risk.
“She took two adult males to that party and assaulted his friends as well as him.
“The victim’s mother and father are at breaking point. They’ve tried numerous times to stop her from contacting him as well as reporting the matter to police.
“I know of a similar case with a male (accused), which led to jail time.”
On the witness stand, the woman’s father said he didn’t know anything about the offending prior to her arrest that day, but pledged to have her closely supervised on bail.
He vowed to have the woman delete her social media accounts, get a part-time job, hand over her tablet and phone at bedtime and not to have keys to the house that will be locked at night.
Magistrate Doug Bolster, in granting bail, noted the woman’s young age, absence of criminal history, stable residence, her father’s strong vows and lack of serious physical injuries to the boy.
“There’s a risk, but it’s a risk that’s worth being taken.”
The bail conditions include a night curfew, thrice-weekly reporting and a ban on contacting prosecution witnesses.
The woman will next appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a filing hearing on 18 April.
