By ANEEKA SIMONIS
AN EMERALD man who pleaded guilty to more than a dozen child sex charges, including multiple counts of penetration of a 14-year-old, has escaped imprisonment.
The sexual offender, Hori Jury, then aged 18, was instead given a strict three-year community corrections order during sentencing by Her Honour Judge Pullen at the County Court of Victoria last month.
Jury pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including two charges of procuring sexual penetration of a child, one charge of procuring a minor for child pornography, five charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16, four charges of an indecent act with a child under 16, and one charge of possessing child pornography.
The Emerald High School graduate’s charges related to two female child victims, both aged 14, that he met at a Knoxfield TAFE.
The court heard Jury first met one of the child victims in September 2014, when they became friends on Facebook.
He sent indecent pictures of himself to the girl, asked her to send intimate pictures and asked if she would have sex with him.
Jury went on to ask the 14-year-old if she would have a threesome with him, to which she agreed.
At about 11am on Thursday 15 October, Jury met the girls at Woolworths in Emerald, and they then walked back to his home.
The court heard Jury knew the age of both victims.
The next day, a school counsellor and one of the victim’s parents became aware of the offender and notified police.
Jury was arrested on Tuesday 20 October and interviewed at Narre Warren police station, where he initially argued he did not know the girls were underage.
Though the court heard Jury was responsible for driving the sexual relationship between the girls, he said the now 19-year-old had good prospects for rehabilitation, acknowledging he was at low risk of sexual re-offending.
He was sentenced to a three-year community corrections order, including requirements he undertake 200 hours of unpaid community work over a period of the first 18 months.
Judge Pullen ruled if Jury was charged with any other offences punishable by imprisonment in the three-year period, he would be re-sentenced to jail on the child sex charges.
“Beware, even driving offences can see you back before me breaching this order and I have to re-sentence on these sexual charges and you will go to gaol,” Her Honour said.
“Be very careful. Three years is a long time when you are 19 years of age.”
Jury completed his VCE through VCAL at Emerald High School in 2014.
He is also required to undertake a Sex Offenders Program as part of his sentence.
