Brenton George Healey, 34, of Mildura, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to 14 charges. Photo / Supplied
Brenton George Healey, 34, of Mildura, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to 14 charges. Photo / Supplied
Warning: This article deals with sexual abuse. Helplines can be found at the bottom of the page.
Two teenage girls stormed the house of a sexual predator and beat him up with his own bats until he begged them, "I'll do whatever you want."
Brenton George Healey, 34, of Mildura, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to 14 charges, including two counts of supplying addictive drugs to a child and two counts of sexual penetration of a child aged under 16, between March and June last year.
Prosecutor Abbie Roodenburg told the court that Healey groomed the girls, aged 15 and 17, who were friends.
They met him through Snapchat and he began giving them marijuana.
On another occasion he gave the 15-year-old girl strong pain medication, causing her to vomit and urinate on herself.
He asked her for sex in his car and she said no, but she "could not push him away because of her state", Roodenburg said.
It was the girl's first experience of sex, she said in a victim impact statement.
"I was waiting to find the right guy and he took that opportunity from me," she said.
Healey will be sentenced on Friday for his despicable acts. Photo / Supplied
"After what happened, every time I showered for a few months I couldn't even look in the mirror.
"I would scrub myself so hard and still would feel dirtier than anything."
After this the girl told her parents, school and police what had been happening.
They also showed up at Healey's house together, forced their way in, grabbed a cricket bat and baseball bat he had at home and attacked him, calling him a rapist.
Healey was arrested and charged after his victims went to the police. Photo / Supplied
He "told them he would do whatever they wanted" and called his mother afterwards, Roodenburg said.
The girls were cautioned by police over this, she said.
"To her unbelievable credit, she has picked her life up and put herself back on track."
Healey's lawyer Serge Petrovich, a Liberal Party candidate for Mallee in 2019, told the court: "I wondered to myself why it was that they continued to socialise with him in person and on social media" after the sexual coercion began.
Judge John Smallwood said it was "all part and parcel with grooming".
"I've been sitting here for 20 years – it's the power imbalance," he said.
"It doesn't surprise me at all.
"They're girls who are in a part of their development - emotionally, sexually and everything - where they're very, very vulnerable."
Healey has previously been convicted of blackmailing two women he met on a dating website.
Where to get help:
• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. • If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7) • Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand - find your closest one here. • Mosaic - Tiaki Tangata: 0800 94 22 94 (available 11am - 8pm) • If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
