Jury shown footage of outback WA pub manager’s alleged sex assault on security guard

A jury has been shown footage of the moment the manager of one of Western Australia’s most famous outback pubs allegedly grabbed the back of a security guard’s head, pushed it toward his groin and made a lewd remark to her.

Stewart Patrick Burchell is on trial in the WA District Court, sitting in the tourist town of Broome, over his alleged actions while he managed the popular Roebuck Bay Hotel.

He has been charged with one count of sexual penetration without consent, and 15 counts of indecent assault. Burchell has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Six women have given evidence against Burchell throughout the trial, including a “skimpy” bartender, bar staff and other managers who worked at the venue between 2017 and 2023.

Two former security guards delivered their evidence on Thursday.

A woman said she was working at the hotel and had a friendly relationship with Burchell, before he began making comments to her about her breasts and buttocks.

She became upset when recounting a specific incident when she attempted to unlock the bottom lock on a door at the pub, while closing up for the evening in March 2023.

She said she was latching the door when he put an open palm to the back of her head, and said “while you’re down there”, pushing her head toward his groin.

The footage shows the incident allegedly taking place in the sports bar of the venue, and the woman appearing to shoo Burchell away.

“[I felt] horror and embarrassment,” she said.

The woman also recounted an incident she claimed took place at the pub’s famed wet T-shirt competition, which is the longest running of its kind in Australia.

She was responsible for watching patrons and ensuring they were not filming the competition from the stage, but said Burchell came up behind her and “thrust” his erect penis against her body.

The woman said there were further incidents with Burchell, including him making lewd comments about her breasts being the “best tits in Broome” and buttocks, and attempting to grab her on a number of other occasions.

“[In one instance] Mr Burchell grabbed my breasts so I grabbed his back,” she said.

“I wanted to shame him.”

The court also saw messages sent from Burchell to the woman, saying things like “rape me” and alluding to sexual acts.

She said it culminated in her asking the security contractor she worked for to no longer work at the Roey.

Another female security guard said she was scared to come forward about her experience of Burchell’s behaviour for fear of being labelled a “complainer”.

She said she was contracted by a security service to fly up to Broome and work the town’s horse racing events in August 2023, including “ladies day” and the Broome Cup horse race.

She said she was working one of the events when she first met Burchell, and alleged he grabbed and squeezed her buttocks as she went to hug him hello.

He allegedly did it again when she greeted him with another hug, but the woman told the court she shoved him away.

She told the court Burchell would also make sexualised comments in front of patrons at the pub, and “nearly every shift or every time I saw him there’d be some comment of a sexual sort”.

The woman said she did not report the incident to police or supervisors due to restrictions around her casual job, but later became emboldened after seeing other woman had made reports to police about the manager’s alleged behaviour.

“Due to the nature of the employment if we declined or turned down shifts we would then be punished with having all our shifts taken away,” she told the court.

“I did try [to decline a shift] once and was questioned about why; I didn’t feel comfortable expressing at that point about why I didn’t want to work. I didn’t want to be labelled a complainer.

“I didn’t want that stigma in a male-dominated industry.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t the only victim in the situation but [it helped] knowing the other people had the strength to come forward. I guess I got the strength to come forward with my story and what had happened to myself.”

In cross-examination, defence lawyer Alexander Mossop accused the women of conspiring to make complaints against Burchell.

“You thought if others were making complaints you thought you’d join in?” he asked the first woman.

“Not in a malicious way,” she responded.

“You thought you’d join in to try and get something out of it?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“You thought you’d get compensation?” He asked.

“No … I thought it was just holding someone accountable for their actions … as a female in a male-dominated industry when you step up and voice something that is effectively not right you are labelled a complainer,” the woman responded.

Mossop has previously accused four other complainants in the case of conspiring with one another.

He alleged the first and second complainant – a skimpy and a bar manager – also had made up the allegations to sue the Roebuck Bay Hotel.

He also alleged the third and fourth complainant – two members of bar staff – conspired to support one another as they were in a romantic relationship at one point during their employment.

There is no legal action afoot against the Roebuck Bay Hotel.

The trial continues.