‘Help me’: Escort’s frantic call during sex attack

An escort was left traumatised after a Gympie man grabbed her by the throat during a violent sex attack.

An escort was left traumatised after a Gympie man grabbed her by the throat during a violent sex attack.

A SEX worker was left psychologically scarred after a man grabbed her by the throat during a violent encounter at a Brisbane unit.

Timothy William Ogilvie, 24, found the female escort on a website and in May 2018 sent her a text asking - “Hi, are you free today?”

The Gympie hospitality worker, who faced Brisbane District Court on Tuesday, then went to meet the woman at a unit in Spring Hill and immediately took off his pants.

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The court heard the woman repeatedly told Ogilvie he had to pay for her services.

But instead of paying, he aggressively snatched her left breast, then grabbed her by the throat pushing her down onto the sofa.

She used her legs fight him off and managed to call reception.

“The receptionist picked up the phone and heard the complainant screaming ‘help me, help me’,” the Crown prosecutor told the court.

Ogilvie then dressed and left the unit.

In text message exchanges after the attack, Ogilvie claimed it was a misunderstanding and that when he asked if she was free, he meant in a monetary sense.

Police charged Ogilvie, who was on probation at the time, with sexual assault and common assault.

On the morning of his trial in November last year he pleaded guilty to both charges.

Defence barrister Bruce Mumford said while his client had a problem with drugs, he had turned a corner in his life and planned to attend bible college.

The court also heard that Ogilvie had autism spectrum disorder, which could have explained his misunderstanding of the situation.

But Judge John Byrne did not wholly accept that argument.

“It’s a little difficult to accept that he continued to think she was free when she came into the unit and … the complainant said you have to pay first,” Judge Byrne said.

The court also heard he had a history of sexual offending and once walked naked along a bike path and asked a woman to look at him while he masturbated.

Judge Byrne said Ogilvie had caused a vulnerable woman “psychological harm”.

“Sex workers … are vulnerable and are entitled to the protection of the law so that violence is not visited upon them unnecessarily,” he said.

“Those who go to work cannot be expected to be assaulted at their place of work.”

Ogilvie was sentenced to serve 60 hours of community service for the sexual assault and 12 months' jail with immediate parole for the common assault charge. - NewsRegional

*For 24-hour sexual violence support call the national hotline 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or MensLine on 1800 600 636.