An ACTION bus driver who mimicked masturbation and oral sex in front school girls while driving them home has been fined and put on a bond.
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The students reported Timon Skegg, 47, after his behaviour escalated to snapping photos of them on his mobile phone and contacting them on social media.
Skegg was sentenced on Wednesday to a one-year good behaviour order and fined $1400 for the offences.
Skegg pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to four counts of committing acts of indecency.
Court documents said Skegg drove an afternoon school bus run through the northern suburbs in 2012 and 2013.
Four high school students reported he had acted inappropriately towards them over 18-months.
The girls said he regularly made sexual gestures towards them, including actions that mimicked masturbation and oral sex.
would daily tell one of the teens and a male student that they wanted to have sex with each other.
On another occasions, Skegg suggested he would like to have group sex with one of the students, her mother, and her sister.
He also told one teen he wanted to have “Skype sex” with her.
Skegg was initially charged with 11 counts of committing acts of indecency.
But a number were dropped after he agreed to plead guilty to four offences.
His defence lawyer, James Sabharwal, described his client’s behaviour as “silly”, “stupid”, and “dangerous”.
Mr Sabharwal said Skegg had already suffered punishment through suspension from his job, with termination expected to be imminent once court proceedings had been finalised.
The lawyer said Skegg had no criminal history, the offences had been low level, and his client planned to relocate to Tasmania.
Prosecutor Trent Hickey said the sexualisation of children was a very serious offence.
Mr Hickey said Skegg’s crimes had been aggravated as he had been in a position of trust at the time of the offences, and occurred over an extended period of time.
“Parents trusted children to his care,” Mr Hickey said.
The prosecutor said it had also been of concern that the offender had messaged the girls via social media, an escalation of the contact they had on the bus.
No charges flowed from the communication.
Magistrate Robert Cook sentenced Skegg to the behaviour order and imposed the fine as punishment.
In handing down the sentence, Mr Cook said bus drivers carried a lot of responsibility, particularly towards children they transport.
The magistrate said Skegg had not only broken the law, but also breached policies of his employer, ACTION, and should expect to be sacked.
