Justin James Crudeli: Former Geraldton youth boxing coach accused of sexually assaulting girl in home hot tub

A former Geraldton youth boxing coach is accused of twice sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a hot tub at his Rangeway home last year — while one of the alleged victim’s friends was present. Justin James Crudeli, 36, is facing trial in Geraldton District Court this week on two counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent. Mr Crudeli ran boxing classes at Geraldton PCYC, which is where he met the alleged victim. In his opening address on Monday, prosecutor Leslie Gabriel said Mr Crudeli had on July 8 taken the teenager — on her request — and her fellow 16-year-old friend to KFC for lunch before all three went surfing later that afternoon. He said on Mr Crudeli’s invitation, the girls agreed to go back to his Rangeway home to sit in his hot tub. While the three were in the water, Mr Gabriel said Mr Crudeli asked the alleged victim to massage his shoulders, which she did. The 16-year-old appeared in court via video link yesterday, when she said Mr Crudeli then proceeded to penetrate her while her friend was also in the hot tub at the time. She said Mr Crudeli stopped what he was doing when she “moved back” to the wall of the tub, but then did the same act a second time. He then started kissing her neck and “sucking” her ear. She said she had not consented to this or the sexual penetration. The court was shown the alleged victim’s interview with police on July 22, 2020, in which she described having a “close relationship” with Mr Crudeli. She told police she sent Snapchat messages to Mr Crudeli on the evening of the alleged incident asking him “why he did what he did” and telling him she had been “too shocked” to protest at the time. She said Mr Crudeli had started deleting some messages in the conversation later that evening and asked the 16-year-old and her boyfriend to come back to the Rangeway house to discuss the matter. In his opening address Mr Crudeli’s lawyer Malcolm Ayoub told the jury the difference in age between the accused and the teen “was not the issue” in the matter and the ex-boxing coach had an “honest” reason to believe the alleged victim had consented to the sexual penetration. Mr Ayoub said Mr Crudeli told the teenager over Snapchat “I thought you wanted me to” when she asked about his actions. The trial is expected to end on Wednesday.