Adelaide café owner awaiting sentence for sexually exploiting a child waitress
A 33-year-old café owner in Adelaide is seeking a lenient sentence after sexually exploiting a child waitress, with his lawyer saying her client lacked the social skills to date adult women.
Logan Ernest Conway pleaded guilty to the persistent sexual exploitation of a child.
The District Court heard Conway regretted maintaining the unlawful relationship.
Conway’s lawyer, Indiana Davis told the court that his life started to go off track when he failed his music education degree.
"He was looking forward to a career in that degree; he felt as though he had nothing but an enormous HECS debt to show for it and felt as if he had no career prospects.
"He felt fairly hopeless about his future both in the career and romantic fronts."
The court heard Conway and his mother then opened a cafe in Adelaide's south even though he had no "aptitude for or enjoyment of hospitality".
The court also heard that Conway spent all his time at the café and lived with his mother at the time that he employed the young waitress.
"And he then made the extremely ill-judged decision to become physically involved with her and then start a relationship with her.
"The relationship … was unquestionably wrong and he acknowledges that and takes full responsibility for the relationship."
Ms Davis told the court her client had not been diagnosed with "paedophilic disorder" but "lacked the social skills to confidentially date adult women".
She said he had "behaved appallingly" and accepted all responsibility.
She asked for her client to receive a sentence that was less than the minimum 10 years in jail, as well as a non-parole period that was lower than normal.
No victim impact statement was received by the court.
Conway will be sentenced later this month.
Irit Jackson, 10th November 2021
