MasterChef Australia 2009 finalist and former swim coach Paul Douglas Frost has been found guilty of 43 child sexual abuse charges relating to 11 different children.
The 47-year-old had previously pleaded not guilty to numerous charges related to 11 complainants, all of whom were former students during the 1990s and 2000s.
**CONTENT WARNING: The following discusses child sexual abuse and may be distressing to some readers.
The MasterChef contestant was initially arrested in September 2019 in Sylvania, NSW.
At Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on June 14, a jury unanimously found him guilty of all 43 charges listed on the indictment.
The charges included several charges of sexual intercourse with a child under his authority or care, multiple charges of aggravated indecent assaults of a person under 16 and grooming children for sexual activity.
It took the jury just 10 minutes to announce the numerous verdicts before Judge Sarah Huggett informed Frost he’d been convicted of all charges.
Frost was taken into custody with bail being refused
The Crown presented a detention application, which Frost’s lawyers did not oppose. He was then taken into custody, with bail being refused.
Judge Huggett thanked the jury for sacrificing months of their time for the trial and acting in a diligent and professional way.
Jurors were also assured that counselling services would be available if required.
Frost is set to appear for a sentence hearing in August.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault, please contact the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence National Help Line on 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) or head to The Australian Human Rights Commission for a list of state-by-state resources.
Want even more goss? Listen to the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
Know something that we don’t? Spill the tea here!
Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.
