Police employee caught repeatedly groping 13-year-old girl in elevator in disturbing video
WARNING: This article contains distressing content
In July 2019, a police staffer reportedly chased a 13-year-old girl into a lift and squeezed her left breast twice. Now, the employee of the New South Wales Police has been found guilty of indecent assault.
As per reports, video footage of the horrific incident showed Glenn Roche initially chasing the minor. However, soon after, he can be seen grabbing her, fondling her, and even trying to kiss her as she attempted to wrestle free.
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Later, the victim managed to escape and she told her mother about her ordeal. She reportedly told authorities that to date, she suffers nightmares from the harrowing assault.
Who is Glenn Roche?
The 54-year-old man is a civilian employee in the NSW police force. As per law enforcement authorities, Roche had been out with the girl’s mother and siblings. It is unclear what his relationship with the girl and her family is.
As per reports, Roche faced the Liverpool Magistrate's Court earlier this week, and told the judge chasing her into the lift was a game. In fact, during police interviews, Roche acknowledged that his hands slid across the minor’s chest area, saying, “... So there would have been some sort of contact without a doubt”. But he also reportedly claimed that there was "no sexual gratification".
Roche, in fact, said that the minor allegedly “contributed to that occurring by releasing her body weight and sliding through my hands.”
During court proceedings in September 2020, Roche reportedly said that he had given the victim's younger sister and mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. “My mind has gone off on a tangent like, this is a challenge, to me, I can get her and give her a kiss on the cheek like her two sisters and mum,” he had said then.
He had also said that when he saw the teenager run into the elevator, he jumped in to say goodbye and told investigators he “should have realized her desire for me not to kiss her on the cheek”. He said, “I remember kissing her on the right cheek and I said that's all I wanted to do.”
As per reports, during the night, following the incident, Roche received a call from the girl's mother to say she was scared. The minor girl told the court she still had nightmares about the attack and worried it would continue.
The magistrate found Roche guilty of indecent assault. The man was also suspended from his job. As per reports, he will be sentenced in August.
The offense of indecent assault carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment in the Local Court and five years imprisonment in the District Court. However, as per the Australian Criminal Law Group, these penalties are typically reserved for the worst offenders.