Scott Ian Whittaker, 44, has been accused of committing offences against four teenage girls. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged child abuse.
As a former retail manager accused of indecently or physically abusing four young female employees now faces 24 charges, any trial or hearing to fight the allegations would take weeks, a court has heard.
ACT Policing has previously alleged the now-44-year-old Scott Ian Whittaker worked at multiple retail chain stores in Belconnen Westfield between 2017 and 2020.
He was originally accused of indecently assaulting two teenage girls at his home in October 2017 when he was 35 and had been their direct manager.
The court then heard he received extra charges relating to two more teenage girls who had also worked with him at a retail store in Canberra.
While he is accused of indecently assaulting three of the girls, there are no such allegations in relation to the fourth girl, who he is accused of physically assaulting.
The matter was back in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday (1 October) because prosecutor James Melloy was asking for the case to be dealt with in the ACT Supreme Court.
He accepted the individual charges may fall to the lower end of objective seriousness, if proved.
But he said it would be a complex defended matter, whether it proceeded as a hearing in the Magistrates Court or a trial in the Supreme Court, with multiple charges and complainants, 17 civilian witnesses and three police officers.
“This is a matter that will go for multiple weeks,” Mr Melloy said.
“Right now, everything is in issue.”
Whittaker’s lawyer, Ryan Mackenzie of Legal Aid, said regardless of whether the court decided to send the matter to the higher court or not, it would need to continue to be adjourned in the Magistrates Court at this time.
He also said while his client had been handed eight fresh charges, these were alternatives or back-ups to existing charges that related to a particular complainant, as it was currently unclear what age she was at the time of the alleged offences.
Magistrate Ian Temby ultimately said there was nothing about the matter that would take it outside the expertise of the Magistrates Court.
Also, he said if Whittaker was found guilty, he was unlikely to be sentenced to a term that was greater that what the lower court was allowed to impose.
He declined to find the matter had to go to the Supreme Court, although allowed the prosecution the option to make another similar application based on length of a trial if it decided that was appropriate.
Whittaker has already entered not guilty pleas to charges laid over the first two girls, including two counts of committing acts of indecency on a young person under special care, as well as single counts of assault and committing an act of indecency on a person under 16.
In relation to the second two girls, he has been charged with eight counts of committing an act of indecency on a person under 16 and a single count of assault, threatening to kill a person, using the internet to deprave young people and supplying liquor to a young person.
The fresh, alternative charges are eight counts of committing an act of indecency on a young person under special care.
The matter was adjourned to 21 October.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on (02) 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on (02) 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, or someone you know has, you can report it by attending a police station or phoning 131 444.
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