A RETIRED Heywood farm worker who inappropriately touched two girls has been convicted and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond with the condition he contribute $1000 to the Royal Children's Hospital.
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John James Peters, 65, of Woolsthorpe-Heywood Road, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court to two charges - committing an indecent act with a girl aged under 16 years and indecent assault of a child aged under 16 years.
A jury trial was to start on Monday, but Peters indicated he would plead guilty to the two charges and other allegations were withdrawn.
The prosecution said Peters grabbed the two girls at the same time, ran his hands up their backs and kissed them to the neck.
The two girls were aged between 13 and 16 years old at the time of the incident.
Defence counsel Michael Turner said his client was 65 years old, had no prior court appearances, worked all his life on farms and it was low-end offending.
Judge John Smallwood said it was offending at the lowest end for such crimes and did not involve intimidate touching although he added it was “not trifling" offending.
He said it was very unlikely Peters would reoffend and he ordered the defendant be registered on the sex offenders' register for eight years.
