Robert Charles Eccles pleads not guilty to child sexual abuse

A South West Victorian Indigenous elder accused of child sex abuse has admitted giving a boy a massage but disputes touching him in an indecent or sexual manner.

Warrnambool’s Robert Charles Eccles, also known as Lockie Eccles, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges relating to an alleged offending against a 16-year-old boy between 2012 and 2013.

The charges relate to indecent acts and sexual penetration.

Mr Eccles, 71, was a Koori court elder who was named Victorian Senior Citizen of the Year in 2021 for his role in local sport.

The accused denies all charges

On Wednesday the Melbourne District Court heard the complainant met Mr Eccles through a sports organization where Mr Eccles was a coach and mentor.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Grant said Mr Eccles began giving the complainant massages when the boy was 15 years old.

The court heard a family member dropped the boy off at Mr Eccles’ Warrnambool home straight after school, still wearing his school uniform.

The court heard the massage took place in Mr Eccles’ garage.

It is alleged that the inappropriate behavior began when the boy was 16 years old.

Eccles was alleged to have told the boy: “You’re 16 now, I can do this.”

The court heard the boy had not spoken about the offense for years.

It was alleged that in January 2023 Mr Eccles sent the complainant a text message saying: “Hey mate, how are you doing.”

The court heard the boy responded to the message but found it very disturbing and deleted the messages.

He then told his then-partner and made a statement to police that month.

Mr Eccles’ lawyer John Blackley told the court it was not in dispute Mr Eccles gave the complainant a massage at his Warrnambool home, but it was disputed that Mr Eccles touched the complainant in an indecent or sexual manner.

The trial continues.