Former Sydney prison officer sentenced to 23 years for sexually assaulting prisoner
Sydney’s former chief prison officer has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for abusing his position to sexually assault a female inmate over several years.
Key Point:
- Wayne Gregory Astir was convicted of 27 counts last year and pleaded guilty to seven more
- Some of his victims said in court they were threatened to shut up
- Court heard Astill lures women into his office by promising them special treatment
Wayne Gregory Astille occasionally shook his head when he faced Downing Center District Court on Friday, learning he will spend at least 15 years and four months in prison.
Astill was found guilty last year by a jury of 27 counts, including aggravated sexual and lewd assault counts, and pleaded guilty to seven more crimes.
A court heard today that he had sexually assaulted several inmates, one of whom was pregnant while working at the Dilwinia Correctional Center near Windsor.
A 66-year-old man pleaded guilty to seven counts of willful misconduct in public office, alleging that the sex and intimate relationships the court heard were improper but consensual.
Astir started working for Dilwinia in 2009 and was promoted to Chief in 2016.
Police have identified several women with whom he has given special treatment, shared personal details, touched, coerced himself, or had consensual sex. Did.
The court heard that some of the inappropriate relationships lasted more than two years.
Judge Gina O’Rourke said some of the assaults were opportunistic and “brazen,” while others were premeditated and willfully disregarded his obligations to inmates and the community.
Astir can lure women into his office under the guise of helping organize lawyers, approving extended visiting hours, giving contraband, or solving problems in prison. there was.
In return for his “favors,” the court heard that he asked or pressured women to perform sexual acts.
The former police officer also approached and tried to touch the woman in the common area.
According to Judge O’Rourke, many of the women tried to resist his offer and later told police it felt like the assault had lasted “a lifetime.”
“His crime was a grave betrayal of his proxy trust in the community, and also against the inmates for whom he used his rank and position for his own sexual gratification,” she said. said.
“It must be admitted that his crimes were widespread over the years and were perpetrated against many victims.”
The court heard that Astil threatened a woman who found out about her relationship with a friend and pressed her forearm to her throat.
“keep [your] Keep your mouth shut and don’t worry unless it comes with consequences,” the court heard him tell her.
On another occasion, after sexually assaulting a pregnant woman in his office, he stared at threats that she would tell her partner about the affair.
Judge O’Rourke said Astir told the woman, “He was a former police officer and was in a biker gang,” and no one ever found out what he had done.
The judge said the offender suffered from PTSD and major depressive disorder from health problems at work and in his personal life, but did not admit these factors contributed to his crime.
She claimed that Astir showed no remorse or insight into her actions and “had no ill effects” on the victims.
Astil alleges he was manipulated by one victim to entertain another victim’s desire for sexual contact, the court heard.
Judge O’Rourke said, “Perpetrators still deny guilt.
The former prison guard was suspended in 2019 and was indicted by police the same year.
After serving his sentence, he will be eligible for parole for the first time in December 2037.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-31/sydney-prison-officer-wayne-gregory-astill-sentenced/102172180 Former Sydney prison officer sentenced to 23 years for sexually assaulting prisoner