A teenage boy who groped a reality star during her morning walk escaped any punishment.
Ellie Rolfe, one of the two winners of season 11 of The Bachelor, met the boy on April 30 at around 7:30 a.m. in Wandina, a suburb of Geraldton in Western Australia.
This week the court heard the 17-year-old rode past on his bike and said “hello” before turning and grabbing Ms Rolfe’s bottom with his right hand, causing her to drop her phone and scream “f*ck off”.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, pleaded guilty to sexual assault during an appearance at the Geraldton Children’s Court on Tuesday, the report said. Perth now.
The prosecutor told the court that the incident was captured on CCTV and that the boy reported to the police station about a week later.
“I’m sorry, I made a stupid mistake,” he told the officers.
The teen’s attorney told the court the incident was out of character for him and suggested a juvenile court order, which would likely include therapy, would be an appropriate outcome.
“He made an error in his judgment… I’m not sure what programs or interventions the court can provide in relation to these types of violations.”
Ellie Rolfe, 30, winner of The Bachelor pageant, said she was sexually assaulted by a man on a bicycle during her morning walk
Judge Matthew Walton said he had some reservations but referred the boy to a court conference that would discuss the details of the juvenile court ruling.
If this goes without any problems, the judge will not impose a penalty.
Ms Rolfe, 30, posted a message on Instagram a day after her meeting with the boy.
“You won’t find me expressing my political views or virtue signaling on this platform… but this really irritates me,” she wrote.
‘I was just walking in the morning and a boy came by, probably my age. He cycled past and said hello, to which I politely replied.’
She posted a ‘rant’ on her Stories, explaining that a man allegedly followed her on his bike before approaching her and grabbing her butt without consent
‘He then followed me around the block twice, came back, rode up behind me, groped my butt, and then tore away.
‘The phone fell out of my hand, I was so scared.
‘No words! How can that be okay in your head… Huge advocate for mental health and you never know what someone is going through but this is just completely disrespectful.
‘Not even safe for a morning walk in broad daylight.’
The case will return to court on September 24 and the boy’s bail will be extended.
The incident comes after her ex-boyfriend Luke, 28, confirmed the couple had split after finding love on last year’s version of The Bachelors.
The beautician who recently split from TV boyfriend Luke Bateman posted a lengthy message on Instagram describing the ‘scary’ event
Luke declared his love to Ellie during filming and they were the only couple left together after the final episode.
In a statement issued to Yahoo Lifestyle Last month, Luke confirmed the split, saying: ‘Ellie and I have separated and would like to keep our relationship private.
“Ellie has a soul that lights up every room she enters and I will miss her dearly.”
Rumors of the couple’s split surfaced weeks earlier, when observant fans noticed that Luke had deleted almost all traces of Ellie from his Instagram page.
Meanwhile, Ellie posted a photo gallery on Instagram of herself at Melbourne Fashion Week. Luke was nowhere to be seen.