 Guilty: blackmailer Justin Williams.
The
Herald Sun reports that Williams had observed his
victim enter a toilet block at Merrimu Reserve, near Melton, last November. He
took the man’s phone number down from his work van and then contacted him
demanding money.
Williams threatened that if he did not
receive $1500 from the man within 40 minutes of the call, that he had photos
and would ‘cause problems’.
The man immediately drove to a nearby police
station, where he admitted he had been engaging in sexual activity in the
toilet.
Williams reportedly told the police he had
blackmailed the man ‘because he was disturbed by what he saw’ and wanted to
teach the ‘perverts’ a lesson.
Williams’ lawyer, Maitland Lincoln, told
the court that Williams was a father who was motivated by his desire to protect
children who may have walked into the toilets, and that he had attempted the blackmail
the man as punishment.
“Police advise men who find themselves in a
similar situation to contact their local police,” Victoria Police Media Officer, Kendra
Jackson, told MCV.
“Alternatively, if they are not
comfortable approaching their local police, they may contact the Gay and
Lesbian Liaison Officer for their local area, who can provide advice to
them in such situations. Every effort to protect the victim’s
identity shall be made.”
Last year’s Melbourne Gay Community Periodic
Survey found fewer than 7 per cent of respondents used beats in the past year,
down from 11 per cent in 2002.
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