TEENS’ AFFAIR TURNS TOXIC

Court hears of stalking and revenge porn

AN “intense, passionate” relationship between two high school students in Cairns turned toxic and ended in court.

The Cairns Children’s Court of Queensland heard the teen threatened to post explicit photos of his young exgirlfriend on social media and sent a video of her naked to her friend after she cut off contact.

The 18-year-old, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to five charges including making, possessing and distributing child exploitation material, stalking with violence and assault.

Josh Francis, for Crown Prosecutions, said the teen stalked the 15-yearold girl for about two weeks late last year through “calls and messages to her of a threatening and manipulative nature.”

A CAIRNS jury has acquitted Matthew James Roots of an alleged nightclub sexual assault.

It was alleged Mr Roots groped the complainant woman’s genitals on the dance floor of Gilligan’s nightclub in 2017.

She told the Cairns District Court jury that Mr Roots had “grabbed me between the legs really firmly and squeezed a few times”.

“He like grabbed me in the crotch … like right in here,” she said.

“I was really shocked, I couldn’t believe that just happened.”

Mr Roots pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in July at Gilligan’s nightclub.

He was cleared after the one-day trial yesterday afternoon.

CCTV footage showing the alleged incident was played in court and the woman identified the moment the alleged sexual assault occurred about 12.44am.

The court heard that the former Townsville schoolteacher had been in Cairns with two friends and they had gone to Gilligan’s about 9pm on July 7 last year when they met a group, which included Mr Roots and a woman.

At some point they had gone upstairs to the Attic Lounge Bar. It was alleged the sexual assault occurred on the dance floor.

Mr Roots’ defence lawyer suggested that his client didn’t touch the woman’s bottom, but was trying to get her to talk to the other female who had been with the group and that at one point the complainant had been leaning back between the woman’s legs.

“I’ll formally suggest to you that the accused did not squeeze you a few times in your crotch or vagina area,” he said.

“He definitely did,” the woman said.

He also suggested that she was laughing with another person just before going to the toilet.

“I don’t remember,” she said.

The woman alleged Mr Roots had “put his hand on the left side of my butt and squeezed it and said don’t freak out”.

She said he had later backed up into her, reached his right arm around and squeezed her genitals a few times.

She also told the court that she had gone to the toilets upset after the alleged sexual assault.

I’LL FORMALLY SUGGEST TO YOU THAT THE ACCUSED DID NOT SQUEEZE YOU A FEW TIMES IN YOUR CROTCH MR ROOT’S LAWYER IN THE CAIRNS DISTRICT COURT