Frank Zumbo, the former chief of staff to former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, has been found guilty of indecently assaulting four of his former female employees.
Warning: This story contains details of indecent assault which some readers may find distressing.
Zumbo showed no expression as Magistrate Gareth Christofi detailed the allegations against him, which included exposing his penis at a park bench, rubbing a young staffer's vagina, and groping his employees' breasts.
The magistrate found Zumbo guilty of seven counts of aggravated indecent assault, and one count of assault with an act of indecency.
One of the complainants who attended court told 7.30 she was relieved by the outcome.
"It's been a long time coming," the woman, who did not want to be identified, said.
"For me, this started over a decade ago, and to finally have an end to it, and you know, justice at last, that is a great relief."
Loading...The magistrate acknowledged in his judgement that the young complainants felt powerless to stop the unwanted behaviour as they feared Zumbo would sabotage their future career in politics when they raised their concerns.
"Given the grossly lopsided power dynamic, the relationship was abusive and manipulative," Magistrate Christofi said.
A complainant, who was described by the court as a reliable and trustworthy witness, told 7.30 she felt she had no one to turn to when she experienced the unwanted behaviour.
"There needs to be a review of the safeguarding processes, because who do you turn to when he's [Zumbo] there, hanging out with the prime minister and things like that … Who do you turn to?" she said.
"I wish I'd spoken out at the time, and maybe some of this could have been stopped. So there is still that little bit of guilt that you hold for not doing it sooner."
Complainant: 'It makes me angry'
One other complainant secretly recorded a conversation with Zumbo, where he told her he loved her and was attracted to her.
In his defence, Zumbo, who was also a law professor at the University of New South Wales at the time, said he felt manipulated by the 19-year-old staffer, and that he feared she would make a false police complaint against him if he didn't help her with her legal studies.
In his judgement, Magistrate Christofi described this explanation as "absurd".
Zumbo, who pleaded not guilty to the accusations by his former staffers, was also described by the magistrate as "not always honest with the court".
A complainant who spoke to 7.30 said she was shocked by Zumbo's evidence defending his behaviour.
"Each of us … and some of us have never met, have such a similar story. And it's the same pattern. You know, Frank had a different excuse for every scenario. And that blew my mind. It makes me angry," she said.
"I just thought, you've got to know that what you've been doing was wrong. All these years … you had to have known. And you carried on with it."
Zumbo acknowledged in his evidence that at times he did touch the female staffers and kissed them on the cheek, but said that this was not sexual, was consistent with his Italian heritage, and was his normal way of greeting people.
The magistrate rejected claims that some of the touching was not of a sexual nature, saying: "An appropriate professional working relationship this was not."
'None of us would have come forward without her bravery'
The behaviour continued over four years, between 2014-2018. In 2020 officers at Sutherland police station started investigating Zumbo when one woman came forward and made a formal complaint. The woman was 14 years old when she started working under Zumbo's supervision at the Hughes electorate office.
However Zumbo was acquitted of allegations of aggravated indecent touching made by this woman, who was the youngest complainant. She was 16 years old at the time she alleges the behaviour occurred.
The young woman was supported by her mother in court as the magistrate read out his decision that he couldn't find beyond reasonable doubt that Zumbo's kissing her on the cheek and rubbing his hand on her back, was necessarily of a sexual nature.
However another complainant who attended court told 7.30 she was grateful to this young woman.
"I want to say a big thank you to the brave girl that came forward and started this off, because none of us would have come forward without her bravery. We wouldn't have had this verdict without her," she said.
The complainant said the problem is much wider than Craig Kelly's old electorate office, saying what her and her colleagues experienced was just "the tip of the iceberg".
"I think it happens more frequently than anyone would like to admit. I think it's the nature of power," she said.
"There's a lot of power plays and favours and, you know, secrecy, and I think that needs to change. I'm still involved in politics, and I still see it on a regular basis."
Last year Zumbo created a Facebook group called Reforming the NSW Criminal Justice System. He is the sole member of this group.
A sentencing hearing at Sydney's Downing Centre has been set for March 26.
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2024-02-02 06:52:18Z
CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTAyLTAyL2ZyYW5rLXp1bWJvLWZvdW5kLWd1aWx0eS1vZi1pbmRlY2VudGx5LWFzc2F1bHRpbmctZm91ci13b21lbi8xMDM0MjEyMjLSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAzNDIxMjIy
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