Man who chased teen victims around shops in 'spontaneous and juvenile' offending given suspended sentence

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to child abuse.

A man who chased three girls around a shopping centre while asking for sex has been handed a suspended sentence.

In May 2024, three teenage girls – two aged 14 and one aged 15 – went to purchase snacks at the Dickson shops before they had a sleepover at one of the girl’s houses, according to court documents.

Christopher Joseph Lichtwark, 40, was sitting on a park bench at the shopping centre when he saw the victims at about 12:30 am.

He began to follow them, asking them to have sex with him or to make out with him.

When the girls ran away, Lichtwark chased them through the shopping precinct for approximately 15 minutes, shouting, “I’m going to get you, I’m going to get you”.

At about 12:45 am, one of the victims called triple zero.

When police officers arrived at about 12:50 am, they saw Lichtwark sprinting after the girls, who were climbing over a garden wall to escape.

“Yeah, I’m just catching up with some people. She, that lady, couldn’t wait to make up a story. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll chase you to do exercise, do a lap around the shops’,” he told police when they spoke with him.

Lichtwark faced the ACT Magistrates Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to committing an act of indecency on a child under the age of 16.

Legal Aid ACT lawyer Stephanie Corish described the offending as “spontaneous and juvenile” behaviour.

“It’s accepted that the conduct was inappropriate and indecent. It’s accepted that it would have been frightening for the victims,” she said.

She argued the offending involved no aggravating factors, such as grooming or touching, and said the court should award a discount because of Lichtwark’s early guilty plea.

Ms Corish said her client lived a “very solitary life”, relied on Centrelink payments and had also recently been diagnosed with autism.

He had spent 50 days in custody before being released on bail. Ms Corish described this as a “significant experience of punishment” for Lichtwark and one that would deter him from future offending.

The prosecutor asked the court to consider Lichtwark’s criminal history, as well as his past lack of compliance with court orders in sentencing.

“Four out of the five good behaviour orders he’s been given, he’s breached,” she said.

She said Lichtwark had shown no remorse for his actions and cited a psychologist’s report that argued he had “a high risk of re-offending due to his lack of insight into his offending or behaviour”.

In sentencing Lichtwark, Magistrate James Lawton said the court had to protect the community.

“Somewhat troublingly, Mr Lichtwark has previously been dealt with for approaching young women in similar situations,” he said.

He sentenced Lichtwark to a nine-month suspended sentence and an 18-month good behaviour order.

“It seems to be important to have a deterrence factor over Mr Lichtwark’s head, for several years, to be sure he knows he cannot approach young women and proposition them like he has in the past,” he said.

“Thanks for your time, Your Honour,” Lichtwark said as he stood to leave the courtroom after sentencing.

Anyone impacted by sexual, domestic or family violence can contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Full Stop Australia on 1800 385 578. Local support services include the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS) on 6280 0900, and Victim Support ACT on 1800 822 272 or 6205 2022.

If this reporting has raised mental health concerns for you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.