An aide to former federal MP Craig Kelly has been spared jail time despite cynically abusing his power to inappropriately touch much younger women.
Frank Zumbo still holds onto a “delusional” belief the women were out to get him for political reasons when they ended his pattern of criminal behaviour, a court was told.
He pressured the young women, who were looking to further their careers, into "kisses and cuddles", exposing himself to one of them as well as having a "rule" about when they could communicate with each other.
He was convicted in February of indecent assaults at various locations across Sydney from 2014 to 2018.
There was a clear power imbalance between Zumbo and the young women, Magistrate Gareth Christofi said during his sentencing at Downing Centre Local Court on Friday.
“This was not an isolated lapse in judgment, it was a pattern of ongoing criminal conduct,” the magistrate said.
Mr Christofi sentenced Zumbo to a two-year intensive corrections order, allowing him to avoid jail to complete 300 hours of community service.
The four women were aged between 19 and 24 at the time of the offending, while Zumbo was more than twice their ages.
As an aide to Mr Kelly, who was the then-Liberal MP for the southern Sydney seat of Hughes, Zumbo was responsible for hiring staff to work in his electoral office.
He was the most senior person in the office when Mr Kelly was absent.
The young women shared their experiences with the court of being invited to work in the office after expressing an interest in politics.
Zumbo would touch them inappropriately, asking highly personal questions and becoming upset when they would not respond to his messages and phone calls.
“He also had a rule,” Mr Christofi said.
“(The women) could not communicate with each other outside the office in his absence.”
He deliberately manipulated the young women, took advantage of their vulnerability and did so for his own sexual gratification in what the magistrate described as a cynical abuse of power.
Zumbo exposed his penis to one of the women, while other assaults involved inappropriate touching on the outside of clothing for short periods.
The magistrate noted the context of the offending was important and Zumbo's abuse of power was of significant community concern.
The offending had inflicted deep and enduring damage on the women, Mr Christofi noted.
“While the various acts constituted criminal offences, it was the breach in trust that this entailed that had the biggest impact and caused the most harm,” he said.
The court was told Zumbo attempted to minimise his conduct by attributing it to his “Italian culture” and has shown no contrition or remorse.
He denies the crimes and told the author of his sentencing assessment report the women were out to get him for political reasons.
"Such a belief is delusional," Mr Christofi said.
Zumbo did not comment as he walked out of court.
The two-year sentence is the maximum available in the local court and for an intensive correction order, a form of custodial sentence that comes with mandatory supervision but is served in the community.
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