Collingwood AFL superfan Jeffrey “Joffa” Corfe has been spared jail time after sexually abusing a child in 2005.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually penetrating a child under the age of 16.
The pair met online, with Corfe telling the boy he was about 30 in messages.
Once they met in person, though, the victim soon realised that wasn’t the case.
After Corfe sexually abused him, the then 44-year-old agreed they shouldn’t have engaged in sexual activity.
“The victim was far from comfortable and left after minutes,” Judge Paul Mullaly said during Corfe’s sentencing in the Victorian County Court on Monday.
The victim was traumatised by the encounter.
The court heard the abuse was a “one-off” in Corfe’s otherwise law-abiding life, and he was a loving father and generous community member.
The judge wholly suspended Corfe’s 12-month prison sentence for two years but he will be a registered sex offender for 15 years.
If he did not plead guilty, the judge would have handed him a prison sentence of two years and four months with a non-parole period of 14 months.