Wild claims top lawyer wore disguise and destroyed evidence to throw off cops after he allegedly groped teen girl outside strip club precinct kebab shop

Former high-flying criminal lawyer Glenn Thexton claims he is the victim of a police witch hunt after allegedly groping a teenage girl outside a Melbourne kebab shop.

Thexton, whose once thriving legal business had offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, pleaded not guilty to sexual assault at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Police allege Thexton, 45, groped a 17-year-old girl outside Queens Kebabs in Melbourne’s bustling King St precinct just before 11pm on September 25, 2019.

The court heard allegations that Thexton sexually assaulted the teenager who was with a group of friends after they left the now closed Cloud Nine underage venue at the infamous Inflation nightclub.

The alleged victim claimed she went to a bar next to the King St kebab shop, where her friends saw her visibly upset.

The teenage girl’s friends asked her what was wrong but she was ‘too upset’ to talk, the court was told.

Allegations that the teenage girl had seen Thexton at the club were also aired in court.

“He touched me, he touched me, he grabbed my ass,” she allegedly said.

The alleged victim and her friends also encountered Thexton outside the location.

“That’s him, that’s him,” she reportedly shouted.

The teenage girl then pointed at Thexton.

The alleged victim and her friends, including a man the group had previously met in Cloud Nine, confronted Thexton and told him to get away from the girl.

Thexton allegedly poked the man in the chest before walking away.

The teenage girl and her friends are said to have followed Thexton through the King St nightclub district, where they saw the criminal lawyer trying to gain entry to the Spearmint Rhino strip club.

Spearmint Rhino’s bouncers allegedly denied Thexton entry, so the teenage girl and her friends watch as the lawyer heads to a second strip club, Centerfold Lounge.

Thexton is then said to have run away from Centrefold before the teenage girl reported the alleged assault to police.

Investigators ripped CCTV footage from outside Queens Kebab before Crime Stoppers issued a notice allegedly depicting Thexton’s likeness.

Crime Stoppers received a tip about Thexton, who then referred him to police.

Police invited Thexton for an interview on October 16, 2019, where he denied sexually assaulting the girl.

The court heard that on the day of the alleged assault, the alleged victim had consumed a single Bacardi Breezer, while Thexton had been drinking with a female employee and her American friend.

Thexton and the American had been to Spearmint Rhino earlier in the evening, the court was told.

It is also alleged that Thexton arranged to meet two employees at city bar ALIBI – Urban Gastropub on October 9, 2019.

The meeting is said to have taken place just days after Thexton’s image was distributed by Crime Stoppers and before his police questioning.

The prosecutor alleged that Thexton arrived at the meeting “in disguise” wearing cargo shorts, a sweater, cap and thongs and no glasses.

The employees allegedly asked Thexton what was going on and he told them that a friend had tipped him off. Crime Stoppers had made a post with his likeness and he was said to be “low profile for a while.”

Thexton also allegedly asked one of the employees to collect and destroy a tie. Police believe he was wearing the one depicted in the Crime Stoppers image the night of the incident.

Thexton, who represented himself, denies sexually assaulting the girl and a witness said “no tie was destroyed.”

He also denied disguising himself, telling the court he often wore shorts, thongs and a cap as “my routine attire.”

“It’s not a change in appearance,” Thexton said.

Thexton also claimed the teenage girl approached him for a cigarette and an explanation and he left King St in a taxi.

Thexton also said it was “highly inappropriate” for the Crime Stoppers image to be published in the media.

“To embarrass me, to cause me to be pressured by the police…,” he said.

‘It will be stated by me… (there was) an absolute failure to properly investigate this matter, allegations of inferences of guilt are an afterthought…’

“This case was brought against me with an ulterior motive. This was not about an assault on your honor, this was a case to shut me down as a lawyer.’

Thexton also claimed Victoria Police’s Purana task force, which hunted Tony Mokbel, and other Melbourne gangsters arrested him “after this matter was raised”.

“It was highly inappropriate for me to be arrested by the Purana Task Force… and for me to pose any kind of threat to a law enforcement officer…,” he said.

“It was that issue that led to the closure of my law practice in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.”

The contested hearing continues.