Australia’s former “First Bloke” has admitted he sexually assaulted a friend in Melbourne last year by sucking on her nipple after she fell asleep while they watched a Whitney Houston documentary.
Raymond Timothy Mathieson, also known as Tim Mathieson, avoided jail when he appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentencing.
The 67-year-old ex-partner of Julia Gillard pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and was convicted and fined $7000.
Magistrate Belinda Franjic said the offense was “a serious example of sexual assault.”
“It involved a victim who is vulnerable by virtue of being asleep. It occurred in the victim’s own home which makes it particularly egregious,” she said.
“When the victim woke up and pushed him away he kept trying to get his mouth back on her breast.
“That aggravates the seriousness of the offending in my view. It’s a particularly intimate form of sexual assault.”
In March last year, the woman invited him to her apartment where they drank wine and ate a roast meal together before watching a Whitney Houston documentary.
The woman fell asleep on the couch, before waking up to Mathieson sucking her nipple and cupping her right breast, the court heard.
Despite the victim pushing him away and saying “Don’t do that,” he tried to keep sucking her nipple before leaving the apartment.
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The next day the woman phoned Mathieson to challenge him over the incident.
He apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again.
The woman suffered anxiety, depression, and bulimia as a result of the incident, the court heard in a victim impact statement read out by the prosecution.
She has since relocated in order to have the “safety and support” of her family.
Mathieson’s lawyer Brad Penno said he had apologised for his conduct and for the impact of his offending.
Noting his client’s exemplary record of good behavior prior to the incident and his work with numerous charities, Penno pleaded with Magistrate Franjic to not record a conviction against Mathieson.
“I just don’t know whether I can deal with this without recording a conviction,” the magistrate replied.
“I accept this is completely out of character but I consider this a serious example of sexual assault.”
As Mathieson left the court, his friend offered to pay for a taxi home.
“My wallet’s got $7000 less in it,” Mathieson said.
The former hairdresser entered the public spotlight when he began dating then-Labor deputy leader Julia Gillard in 2006.
He became known as Australia’s “First Bloke,” moving into the Lodge when Ms Gillard became Prime Minister in 2010.
The reversal of traditional gender roles, a first in Australia, saw Mathieson take up duties normally carried out by Prime Ministers’ wives.
Mathieson’s relationship with the former Prime Minister ended quietly in late 2020 or early 2021 after they’d been together over a decade.
The incident occurred just weeks before Gillard publicly confirmed the pair had split.
Mathieson is currently enrolled in a men’s behavioral program due to start early next year, his lawyer confirmed.