Shock development after Magpies superfan ‘Joffa’ Corfe avoided jail for sexually abusing a child
Bombshell legal development after Collingwood superfan ‘Joffa’ Corfe escaped jail for child sexual abuse – as crucial information in the case is called into question and his victim denounces ‘miscarriage of justice’
- Questions have been raised about ‘Joffa’ Corte’s character references
- Former charity boss angry that an old reference was presented
- The tragic Corte of Collingwood escaped from prison after molesting a minor
A man who was sexually assaulted by Collingwood superfan Jeffrey ‘Joffa’ Corfe has issued a shocking ‘miscarriage of justice’ after an old charity boss reference was revealed to have been submitted to a court without permission, revealing the ‘character’ of the convicted pedophile praised.
Corfe, 62, escaped prison for the 2005 assault on Alex Case, who was 14 at the time of the offence.
In 2022, Corfe admitted to sexually assaulting Case at an address in Melbourne’s north.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16.
On 27 February, Judge Gerard Mullaly of the County Court of Corfe imposed a 12-month suspended prison sentence for his ‘good character’.
A man sexually assaulted by Collingwood superfan Jeffrey ‘Joffa’ Corfe (pictured) has issued a shocking ‘miscarriage of justice’
Last month, Corfe avoided jail time after admitting in 2005 that he assaulted Alex Case, who was 14 at the time
In an explosive development, it has since emerged that Jeremy Maxwell, a former general manager of fundraising for the Epilepsy Foundation, disagreed that his character reference could be used.
Maxwell is ‘appalled’ that his words support a convicted sex offender in Corfe.
“It feels like I’ve been used. He [Corfe] is not the person I thought he was,” he said.
“It makes me question everything I know about him. If I had known, I never would have let it happen [reference] are used.’
According to the Announce sunMaxwell’s historical character reference was passed by a family member to Corfe’s legal representatives.
Louis Dean, Corfe’s lawyer from Slades & Parsons Criminal Lawyers, then gave it to Christopher Terry, the lawyer who appeared for Corfe in the County Court of Victoria.
Dean said he tried to contact Maxwell but got no response.
Terry was ‘alarmed’ after being informed that Maxwell had not authorized the presentation of the character reference to the magistrate.
Questions have been raised about two of Corfe’s character references submitted to the court
In addition, a second reference from Father Bob Maguire, a respected priest and community worker, is said to be from the Father Bob Maguire Foundation, rather than Maguire himself.
Following the development in Corfe’s criminal case, accredited criminal justice specialist Melinda Walker told 3AW radio: “Usually character references are given at the point of the sentence and they also refer to the reasons why they write the reference… notwithstanding what they now know about the person, that they still hold him in high esteem.’
There is no suggestion that any of Corfe’s legal representatives acted improperly in using the references.
In his victim impact statement, Case, 32, said Corfe’s attack after the pair met online “planted something so toxic in my mind that for 15 years I was convinced I was a bad person and that I didn’t deserve anything good” .