Security guard claims she didn’t report sexual harassment at outback WA pub due to ‘stigma’

3 days ago 4

A female security guard who alleges she was sexually harassed by the former manager of an outback pub in a West Australian tourism hotspot she was scared to come forward about his behaviour for fear of being labelled a “complainer”.

Stewart Patrick Burchell is on trial in the WA District Court, sitting in the tourist town of Broome, over his alleged actions while he managed the popular Roebuck Bay Hotel.

He has been charged with one count of sexual penetration without consent, and 15 counts of indecent assault. Burchell has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Six women have given evidence against Burchell throughout the trial, including a “skimpy” bartender, bar staff and other managers who worked at the venue between 2017 and 2023.

Two former security guards delivered their evidence on Thursday.

One woman said she was contracted by a security service to fly up to Broome and work the town’s horse racing events in August 2023, including “ladies day” and the Broome Cup horse race.

She said she was working one of the events when she first met Burchell, and alleged he grabbed and squeezed her buttocks as she went to hug him hello.

He allegedly did it again when she greeted him with another hug, but the woman told the court she shoved him away.

However, the woman alleged Burchell continued to make sexual remarks to her, and occasionally attempted to grab her buttocks and breasts when she worked past him on shift.

She told the court Burchell would also make sexualised comments in front of patrons at the pub, and “nearly every shift or every time I saw him there’d be some comment of a sexual sort”.

The woman said she did not report the incident to police or supervisors due to restrictions around her casual job, but later became emboldened after seeing other woman had made reports to police about the manager’s alleged behaviour.

“Due to the nature of the employment if we declined or turned down shifts we would then be punished with having all our shifts taken away,” she told the court.

“I did try [to decline a shift] once and was questioned about why; I didn’t feel comfortable expressing at that point about why I didn’t want to work. I didn’t want to be labelled a complainer.

“I didn’t want that stigma in a male-dominated industry.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t the only victim in the situation but [it helped] knowing the other people had the strength to come forward. I guess I got the strength to come forward with my story and what had happened to myself.”

A second woman who also worked as a security guard at the hotel said she had a friendly relationship with Burchell, before he began making comments to her about her breasts and buttocks.

She said his behaviour had become incessant, and he had touched her inappropriately on a number of occasions, leaving her “horrified and embarrassed”.

“I didn’t really want to be left alone with Mr Burchell,” she said.

In cross-examination, defence lawyer Alexander Mossop accused the women of conspiring to make complaints against Burchell.

“You thought if others were making complaints you thought you’d join in?” he asked the first woman.

“Not in a malicious way,” she responded.

“You thought you’d join in to try and get something out of it?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“You thought you’d get compensation?” He asked.

“No … I thought it was just holding someone accountable for their actions … as a female in a male-dominated industry when you step up and voice something that is effectively not right you are labelled a complainer,” the woman responded.

Mossop has previously accused four other complainants in the case of conspiring with one another.

He alleged the first and second complainant – a skimpy and a bar manager – also had made up the allegations to sue the Roebuck Bay Hotel.

He also alleged the third and fourth complainant – two members of bar staff – conspired to support one another as they were in a romantic relationship at one point during their employment.

There is no legal action afoot against the Roebuck Bay Hotel.

The trial continues.