Gumleaf
February 25th, 2008, 11:18 PM
Tuesday Feb 26 12:21 AEDT
A boy who claims he was indecently assaulted by former NSW Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos told his electorate office manager the MP had been grooming him for sex, a court has been told.
Orkopoulos, 50, is standing trial in the Newcastle District Court on 34 child sex and drugs charges dating back to 1995.
The former Aboriginal affairs minister is accused of using alcohol, cannabis and heroin to lure teenage boys into having sex with him.
The trial resumed before an 11-member jury, with Judge Ralph Coolahan discharging the 12th juror, who was also the foreman, due to illness.
Swansea electorate office manager Gillian Sneddon told the court one of the alleged victims contacted the office in October 2005 to make a complaint.
The boy had called on other occasions dating back to 1999 and had received payments from the office's petty cash, she said.
Orkopoulos was mostly in Sydney at that stage, having been elevated to the Aboriginal affairs portfolio as well as assuming the office of special minister assisting the premier on citizenship.
Ms Sneddon said Orkopoulos had been incredulous and outraged at the boy's allegations, saying "What? What? What? After all I have done for him."
She said she had rung Newcastle MP Bryce Gaudry a few days later to tell him, and Orkopoulos had assured her he had contacted police.
Ms Sneddon said she made a constituent's file note of her conversation with the boy.
"He was acting a bit peculiar, he went outside," she said of the boy, who was then 16 years old.
"He was smoking nervously and he said, `I think Milton was grooming me.'"
She continued: "He said, `He's told me about giving a head job to the local delicatessen owner in the (electorate) office and I walked in here one day and (another man) was pulling his pants up."
The long-serving ALP officer said the boy had told her he wanted to be a politician and had asked her not to tell the police.
"I was really alarmed," Ms Sneddon said.
He later told her Orkopoulos had "tried to seduce" him during a visit to Sydney, she said.
In August 2006, Ms Sneddon said, Orkopoulos came into the office with an affidavit and told her to fax it to Lake Macquarie police.
"First he rang ... (former police minister) Carl Scully's office and then said, `Right, go ahead'," she said.
A police investigation into the MP began as a result.
Ms Sneddon's evidence is continuing.
©AAP 2008
A boy who claims he was indecently assaulted by former NSW Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos told his electorate office manager the MP had been grooming him for sex, a court has been told.
Orkopoulos, 50, is standing trial in the Newcastle District Court on 34 child sex and drugs charges dating back to 1995.
The former Aboriginal affairs minister is accused of using alcohol, cannabis and heroin to lure teenage boys into having sex with him.
The trial resumed before an 11-member jury, with Judge Ralph Coolahan discharging the 12th juror, who was also the foreman, due to illness.
Swansea electorate office manager Gillian Sneddon told the court one of the alleged victims contacted the office in October 2005 to make a complaint.
The boy had called on other occasions dating back to 1999 and had received payments from the office's petty cash, she said.
Orkopoulos was mostly in Sydney at that stage, having been elevated to the Aboriginal affairs portfolio as well as assuming the office of special minister assisting the premier on citizenship.
Ms Sneddon said Orkopoulos had been incredulous and outraged at the boy's allegations, saying "What? What? What? After all I have done for him."
She said she had rung Newcastle MP Bryce Gaudry a few days later to tell him, and Orkopoulos had assured her he had contacted police.
Ms Sneddon said she made a constituent's file note of her conversation with the boy.
"He was acting a bit peculiar, he went outside," she said of the boy, who was then 16 years old.
"He was smoking nervously and he said, `I think Milton was grooming me.'"
She continued: "He said, `He's told me about giving a head job to the local delicatessen owner in the (electorate) office and I walked in here one day and (another man) was pulling his pants up."
The long-serving ALP officer said the boy had told her he wanted to be a politician and had asked her not to tell the police.
"I was really alarmed," Ms Sneddon said.
He later told her Orkopoulos had "tried to seduce" him during a visit to Sydney, she said.
In August 2006, Ms Sneddon said, Orkopoulos came into the office with an affidavit and told her to fax it to Lake Macquarie police.
"First he rang ... (former police minister) Carl Scully's office and then said, `Right, go ahead'," she said.
A police investigation into the MP began as a result.
Ms Sneddon's evidence is continuing.
©AAP 2008