A man who repeatedly phoned the Cancer Council and a Ballarat disability worker for his own sexual gratification has been sentenced to six months in prison.
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Jim Fotiadis made the phone calls in June last year, and exposed his genitals to a female at a corrections facility in December.
He was sentenced at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to using a carriage service to harass another person, stalking, sexual exposure and committing an offence while on bail.
The court was told Fotiadis phoned the Cancer Council eight times between April 4 and June 20 and used sexual orientated words and played pornographic material while on the calls.
Magistrate Ron Saines told Fotiadis, who appeared via a video link from prison, it was without doubt his conversations were to provide sexual conduct to a stranger who did not want the phone calls.
"(The calls were) to provide you with some form of sexual gratitude," Mr Saines said.
On June 20, Fotiadis phoned a Ballarat disability worker numerous times. She did not answer some of the calls.
Mr Saines said Fotiadis engaged in a romantic manner with the worker and masturbated, causing the victim to feel unsettled, humiliated and unable to continue to work with her clients.
Fotiadis was quickly identified as the caller and he was charged.
Six months later on December 13 while he was on bail, Fotiadis was at Corella Place - a unit outside of Ararat prison's wall that houses sex offenders - when he directed a sexual act towards a female.
The court was told Fotiadis opened the front of his shorts and showed his genitals to the female, who became upset and disturbed.
The magistrate said leniency could be applied to Fotiadis' sentence because he had pleaded guilty early and made admissions to the offending.
Mr Saines said Fotiadis had had a difficult and unstable childhood and experienced delayed cognitive development, a low level of cognitive functioning and significant personality disorder.
A medical report states Fotiadis' diagnosis reduces his ability to make choices and to manage sexual urges.
"I accept that to be the case here," Mr Saines said.
He said Fotiadis' offending occurred during a period of lockdown and deterioration of his mental health and functioning.
Although leniency was applied to Fotiadis' sentence, Mr Saines said there needed to be deterrence.
"If you keep doing this, you will be back in prison for longer and more frequently," he said.
"This is wrong conduct. The females feared for their safety. They also felt humiliated because of your conduct."
Fotiadis was sentenced to six months in prison, which includes three months for the Commonwealth offence of using a carriage service to harass a person.
He will serve the sentence concurrently with a 15-month prison sentence imposed at the County Court this year for breaching three supervision orders. Fotiadis is due to be released from prison in one year.
Fotiadis was placed on the sex offenders register for eight years.
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