A sex pest on the child protection register has been jailed after he harassed and made disturbing comments towards a minor who was working at an Illawarra cafe.
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Wollongong man Glenn Thacker, also known as Glenn Landas, was sentenced at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday for contravening a prohibition order under child protection offenders legislation.
The 60-year-old was placed on the register in 2005 for life when he was sentenced for sex crimes against a victim under 10.
He was ordered to not approach, actively seek or remain in the presence of anyone under 18.
Landas has been jailed three times since, twice for failing to comply with his protection orders and once for inciting a minor to do a sexual act on him in 2020.
Documents tendered to the court revealed his latest offending in which he approached and struck up a conversation with a 16-year-old Illawarra cafe worker who had just finished her shift.
"Did you have a big one today," Landas asked.
The girl, who recorded the entire conversation on her phone, gave him one-word responses.
"Yes," she said, as he continued, "Are you back on tomorrow?"
Landas asked where her home was, before saying "I better get outta here, they'll think I'm chatting ya up ... I don't want you to lose your job."
A few days later, the girl saw Landas near her workplace as she was waiting for her shift to start.
She walked past him and went into a nearby arcade to dodge him, however he approached as she exited.
She hit record on her phone again.
"I'll be down there (the cafe) soon ... I might be there before ya, what time do ya start?" Landas asked her.
He then started to discuss coffee, telling the girl he drinks one a day as it "helps me go to the toilet".
"I don't mind talking to you ... you're a good worker," he went on, before inquiring about her age.
Landas continued to talk to the girl after she told him she was 16.
"I've got a court order that says I can't hang around with someone under the age of 18 ... I can get arrested even for just talking to you," he said.
He told the minor to keep this comment to herself.
The girl saw Landas sitting alone at the cafe when she started her shift and ignored him when he said goodbye as he left.
She told her mother about the incident who then contacted police. Landas was arrested at the Picadilly Motor Inn on January 23.
In court on Tuesday, Magistrate Claire Girotto said she was left with no other option but to send the repeat offender to jail.
Landas was sentenced to 10 months in custody, with a non-parole period of three months, making him eligible for release on April 21.
He was also ordered to engage in therapy to deal with his sexual offending.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
