Chad James Broad: Prosecutor claims Geraldton man made full admissions to raping child at abandoned hotel

A police prosecutor has told a magistrate a Geraldton man made full admissions to raping a child at the abandoned Batavia Motor Inne. Chad James Broad, 46, appeared from custody in Geraldton Magistrates Court on May 22 for a bail application, after being charged with two counts of sexually penetrating a child under 13, and one count of indecently dealing with a child under 13 on March 15. It is alleged Mr Broad and another man, George Windie, took an intoxicated 12-year-old girl to a room in the derelict building after she had been given alcohol. The girl was allegedly groped by Mr Broad, before he sexually penetrated her twice, over a period between 2pm and 4pm. Police prosecutor Sgt Ross Gray told Magistrate Angus Hockton Mr Broad made full admissions to police after he was arrested at the Batavia Motor Inne on March 23. Sgt Gray said Mr Broad told police, “One thing led to another”. Mr Broad’s lawyer, Eva Svanberg, made no comment about the alleged full admissions. Ms Svanberg stated Mr Broad should be granted bail as he had been told by his public housing provider he will lose his home if he does not reside in it in 14 days, and so that he could support his terminally ill mother. It was suggested Mr Broad be placed on bail with protective conditions and a requirement to report daily to police, however Mr Hockton decided not to grant bail. Mr Hockton said he was not concerned about the risk that Mr Broad might offend while on bail, but was concerned he would attempt to influence the alleged victim. The magistrate noted Mr Broad had a lengthy history of breaching court orders, including bail, protective bail and restraining orders. “If I look at his record, the six most recent charges begin with the word breach,” Mr Hockton said. Mr Hockton said it would be “inevitable” Mr Broad would receive a “very significant” term of imprisonment if convicted. “It seems, given the admissions that are said to have been made, there is a very strong case against you,” he told Mr Broad. The alleged sexual assault at the derelict Batavia Motor Inne comes after Victorian man James Sbresni was jailed for five years for raping a 14-year-old girl at the site in June 2021, and Norman Trevor Gilbert pleaded guilty to one charge of raping a woman there in December 2022, while denying another charge of the same offence. He will next appear in court on August 24.