Month’s jail for creep
A CAIRNS school counsellor who offered to buy a student cannabis, kissed another and showed porn to a 10-year-old child will be released from jail in one month.
Damon Rice Leftwich, 41, was employed as a counsellor by a Cairns high school where, from the 2017 summer holidays and into 2018, he groomed three teen students.
The high school cannot be named for legal reasons.
Cairns District Court heard he also indecently treated a 10-year-old child.
Leftwich has worked in the public eye as an indigenous dancer and actor – having performed roles for Diabetes Australia and Ergon Energy.
In 2013 he was cast in an NITV documentary called Cairns with Damon Leftwich.
Leftwich was also a small business figure. He worked as general manager of former Lake St restaurant Cultural Place, which closed in 2014.
The court heard that in 2017, he went to the house of one of the complainant girls under the pretence of helping with her school timetable.
As soon as her mother left the room, Leftwich propositioned her.
“You told the child you were a drug dealer, that if she wanted a smoke, he could get them for her,” Judge Tracy Fantin said.
He later messaged the girl on Facebook Messenger, telling the girl: “I have got green.”
It was not until days later that his expected payment was made clear – Leftwich wanted a photo of the girl from the waist down.
Leftwich later took a second student from the school with the offer of takeaway.
While alone with the girl, Leftwich asked if she had watched pornography.
“You said girls could make a lot of money in pornography,” Judge Fantin said.
He later kissed a third student – again after buying her a takeaway meal.
The court heard that while on paid suspension, Leftwich binged on methylamphetamine, during which he exposed himself to a 10-yearold and showed her porn.
Leftwich – who has been in custody for 232 days, pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including indecently dealing with children, was sentenced to twoand-a-half years jail, suspended after one month for three years. “The offending involved breaches of trust and abuse of power,” Judge Fantin said. “You took advantage of three children.”