By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A registered sex offender has pleaded guilty to cyber-stalking women and posting explicit films of one of them on a porn site, a court has heard.
Michael Brett Gagnon, of Noble Park, contacted a body-builder on Instagram while she was on holiday in Bali in October.
He offered her $1500 for her to video herself stripping. She sent him her bank details and a 90-second clip via Facebook Messenger but he didn’t pay.
He instead hassled her in a barrage of messages for another film, then for phone sex and for real sex.
The victim blocked his account, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court was told.
Under a pseudonym account, Gagnon sent the victim a Facebook message with a still image of her film.
“You know you’re on Porn Hub,” he wrote.
On the website the victim found two entries posted by Gagnon featuring her video and first name.
She replied to Gagnon on Facebook Messenger, requesting he deleted the files or she’d report him to police.
He deleted just one of them and was arrested by police on 12 November.
Gagnon, a Coles supermarket manager, had admitted to using cyber names that he had not reported to police. This was in breach of his requirements under the sex offenders register.
“It’s the wrong thing to do but she blocked me on the account,” he told police.
He told police that he stalked the victim because she was “attractive”.
Another victim was solicited by Gagnon on Instagram in June, initially offering $5000 for an intimate naked video, the court heard.
Over a series of messages, the offer was increased to $25,000.
She performed for him on Skype for up to 15 minutes and was not paid.
He later contacted her on Facebook, telling her that he’d recorded the video – which could get “18,000 views” on the web.
“Unless you do what I ask in five minutes, I’m going to post it (on the internet).”
After his arrest in August, Gagnon told police he was lonely and had trouble socialising.
He admitted he didn’t have $25,000, had no intention to pay for the video and effectively blackmailed the victim.
He denied he’d uploaded the film, which was still saved on his laptop.
Gagnon had relevant priors including coercing underage girls to send him explicit images.
At the 12 November hearing, magistrate Jack Vandersteen ordered a psychiatric report on Gagnon prior to sentencing.
“This offending is serious and protracted. It needs to be addressed because you’re causing great distress.
“This offending is emerging as a real risk to members of the community if you continue to engage in it.”
Gagnon was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 22 January.
