An aide to former federal MP Craig Kelly has been spared jail despite cynically abusing his power to inappropriately touch many younger women.
Frank Zumbo still clings to the “delusion” that the women wanted to get at him for political reasons when they ended his pattern of criminal behavior, a court was told.
He pressured the young women, who wanted to further their careers, to give ‘kisses and hugs’, exposing himself to one of them and having a ‘rule’ about when they could communicate.
He was convicted in February of indecent assault at various locations in Sydney from 2014 to 2018.
An aide to former federal MP Craig Kelly has been spared jail despite cynically abusing his power to inappropriately touch many younger women (photo, Frank Zumbo)
Frank Zumbo (pictured) continues to cling to the ‘delusion’ that the women wanted to get at him for political reasons when they ended his pattern of criminal behaviour, a court was told.
There was a clear power imbalance between Zumbo and the young women, magistrate Gareth Christofi said during his sentencing at Downing Center Local Court on Friday.
“This was not an isolated error of judgment, it was a pattern of ongoing criminal behavior,” the magistrate said.
Mr Christofi sentenced Zumbo to a two-year intensive corrections order, allowing him to avoid prison and complete 300 hours of community service.
The four women were between 19 and 24 years old at the time of the crime, while Zumbo was more than twice their age.
As an assistant to Mr Kelly, then Liberal MP for the southern Sydney seat of Hughes, Zumbo was responsible for hiring staff for his electoral office.
He was the most senior person in the office when Mr. Kelly was absent.
The young women shared their experiences with the court when they were invited to work in the office after showing an interest in politics.
Zumbo touched them inappropriately, asked very personal questions and became upset when they did not respond to his messages and calls.
“He also had a rule,” Christofi said. “(The women) were unable to communicate with each other outside the office during his absence.”
He deliberately manipulated the young women, taking advantage of their vulnerability and doing so for his own sexual gratification, in what the magistrate described as a cynical abuse of power.
Zumbo exposed his penis to one of the women, while other attacks involved inappropriate touching of the outside of clothing for short periods.
Zumbo (pictured in February) was sentenced to a two-year intensive corrections order, allowing him to avoid prison and complete 300 hours of community service
Zumbo was chief of staff to One Nation’s Craig Kelly (pictured)
The magistrate noted that the context of the crime was important and that Zumbo’s abuse of power was of great importance to the community.
The crime had caused deep and lasting damage to the women, Mr Christofi noted.
“Although the various acts constituted criminal offences, it was the breach of trust this entailed that had the greatest impact and caused the most damage,” he said.
The court was told Zumbo tried to downplay his behavior by attributing it to his ‘Italian culture’ and has shown no remorse or remorse.
He denies the crimes and told the author of his criminal assessment report that the women wanted to get him for political reasons.
“Such a belief is a delusion,” Christofi said.
Zumbo made no comment as he left the courtroom.
The two-year prison sentence is the maximum available in the local court and for an intensive corrections order, a form of custodial sentence that comes with mandatory supervision but is served in the community.
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