THE GROPING GOLFER II

I want to go back to an issue I dubbed The Case of the Groping Golfer. Leighton Lyle indecently assaulted a sleeping passenger on a flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne. He got off without a conviction partly because that black mark against his name could affect his budding career as a professional golfer. As I said, in that courtroom the defence made it all about Lyle and his sexual immaturity and his ‘psychosexual side’, whatever that is.

 The victim was virtually assaulted again in that courtroom.Lies were told. At least by inference and omission. And I have information from several sources. Favourable references were made to Lyle’s ‘early guilty plea’. It wasn’t. He lied, and denied the assault, even to his own mother, for months. It was only when DNA inside the victim’s bra was identified as his, did he decide to plead guilty.

 Lyle’s solicitor told the court he had apologized to the victim. He didn’t. And still hasn’t.

The court heard Lyle had behaved opportunistically rather than in a predatory way and was unlikely to reoffend. Read this and tell me if it isn’t predatory.

The sleeping victim was awakened by a pulling, tugging, even sucking, sensation on her nipple. She opened her eyes and felt Lyle’s body pulling away from her. She looked at him and he was sitting straight up with his eyes closed as if asleep. The arm-rest between them had been raised.

Lyle asked her to make room so he could get out and go to the toilet. As she stood in the aisle to let him through she noticed her breast was exposed almost to the nipple.

Predatory?  To expose her breast, the supposedly sexually inept Lyle had to get past four layers of clothing. On top of her bra was a camisole, then a t-shirt and a cardigan.

Initially, when asked by Federal Police to explain how his DNA turned up inside the bra Lyle said he may have sneezed in her direction at some stage of the flight.

And he walked with no conviction, a good behaviour bond, and a donation to charity.

I’ll leave you with one thought from the victim who says ‘this unsavoury incident’ has encroached on all aspects of her professional and personal life for nearly two years as she and her fiancé  try to plan for their wedding.

‘This won't be the last time that this happens ... mark my words.  My heart goes out to those who send off their daughters/wives/girlfriends in a similar manner expecting that they will be safe, especially on a plane in a public place in full view for all to see.  You can't tell me that this was a sexually inept person who was socially stunted and inadequate when it came to his dealings with women.  Please?’ 

So Leighton Lyle goes off with a clean score card to play pro golf. And an innocent young victim carries the handicap. Because Justice failed her.

Friday, Feb 6, 2009

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2009