What began as an exciting first day in a long-sought trucking career ended in lasting trauma for a woman who was repeatedly subjected to indecent exposure by a senior co-worker, a court has heard. The 76-year-old accused recently appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court supported by his wife of 20 years and pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent exposure. The court heard that in December 2025, the victim was rostered to work with the accused on her first day as a truck driver at a Wangaratta business, with the veteran driver tasked with supervising her. Their first job together was a delivery to Mount Beauty. During the trip and over the following day, the accused repeatedly exposed himself and made a series of sexual remarks towards the woman, including while unloading freight and while driving the truck, the court heard. Following a stop to check straps on the return journey, the woman entered the cabin to find the man naked from the waist down. He said he was "a bit of a nudist" and continued driving. The man also told the victim her nipples were showing and asked whether she would be "taking nudes with her daughter". The woman made a formal complaint with the workplace following the Christmas break and she broke down upon seeing him again. The matter was reported to police in February 2026 and the man was arrested at the Beechworth Police Station on 26 February. A detailed victim impact statement was read by the prosecution in court. It read how driving trucks was a dream for the woman, and she was feeling excited and proud prior to her first day on her new journey, only to leave violated and emotionally shattered 48 hours later. “I was subjected to behaviour that made me feel deeply uncomfortable, disturbed and confused,” she said. “The impact has simply not disappeared with time… I felt as though I had become a shell of a person I once was. “I’ve had to find ways to cope with the consequences of someone else’s actions.” She said the experience brought back trauma from sexual abuse she experienced as a child and her goal of truck driving had been put on hold, with the career pursuit now associated with fear and trauma. “I continue to live with the consequences everyday… I’m trying to rebuild my life and I’m not the same person I was before this,” she said. “I deserve to feel safe while pursuing my dream.” Defence counsel Marcel White said his client was not aware of the impact he had on the victim and thought the conversations he had with her were bilateral. “My client behaved in a very uncivilised and lewd matter, disgraceful in many ways,” he said. “My client has been severely embarrassed by this.” Mr White said the man immediately resigned when the complaint came out and that he had no history of sexual offending or behaving in this manner. Mr White said his client had a urinary problem and often drove trucks without his pants on. “What person in their right mind would be driving any form of vehicle present with anybody without their pants on,” Magistrate Peter Dunn said. “People are capable of very abhorrent behaviour showing no prior signs.” Magistrate Dunn placed the man on an 18-month community corrections order which will include 180 hours of community work.
