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A 40-year-old Canberra woman has admitted donning “a huge, poufy brown wig” before stripping off and forcing herself on a 15-year-old boy she was paying to mow her lawn. Michelle Maree Ardron, now 42, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of committing an act of indecency on a child. She received an indicative sentence of 16 months in jail, to be served in the community by way of an intensive correction order, when she appeared in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday. Agreed facts tendered to the court show that in November 2018, the victim knocked on Ardron’s door in Curtin and asked her if she would like him to mow her lawns. He gave her a flyer for his lawnmowing enterprise and they agreed that he would return the next day and do the job for $40. The boy turned accordingly turned up and started doing the work for Ardron, who looked “drowsy” and told him she would pay him later. Ardron emerged from the house multiple times to speak to the victim, and at one point gave him a glass of water. When the boy had finished, he took down Ardron’s phone number with the intention of working out a lawnmowing schedule with her. He went to get the glass to return it to the house, and while he was gone Ardron put on the highly unusual headwear. She asked him when he came back if he smoked “weed”, and told him he should when he replied in negative terms. Ardron then kissed the boy on the lips and forced her tongue into his mouth, with the victim saying this tasted “foul”. She also touched the teenager’s genital area, rubbed against him and took off all her clothes. The victim said he froze and only snapped out of that state when he noticed a strong smell of cigarette smoke. He told Ardron: “I’m 15 and I shouldn’t be doing this.” Ardron stopped and replied: “Sorry, I thought you were older.” The victim managed to leave after telling Ardron he had other lawns to mow, noticing as he departed that “a big poster” emblazoned with the words “keep out” had been put on the front door. He went home, feeling “shocked and conflicted”, and brushed his teeth because he felt “unclean”. The boy told his mother what had happened, and she in turn alerted police. Following an investigation, Ardron received a court summons last year. On Thursday, her barrister James Sabharwal said he would try to persuade Chief Justice Helen Murrell to sentence Ardron to a good behaviour order. He said Ardron was hoping to regain care of a young child, who was currently in foster care, and the court heard any sentence of imprisonment would result in her being placed on the sex offender register for eight years. But Chief Justice Murrell said her preliminary view was that the offence was too serious for anything but a jail term to be imposed. “The appalling offence has had a significant impact on the complainant,” she said, noting that the boy had provided a victim impact statement detailing his “disgust”, nightmares and flashbacks. The judge proposed a community-based jail sentence of 16 months, but allowed Mr Sabarwhal time to obtain further information about exactly that sentence would mean for Ardron’s chances of obtaining care of the young child. The case returns to court on May 13. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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A 40-year-old Canberra woman has admitted donning “a huge, poufy brown wig” before stripping off and forcing herself on a 15-year-old boy she was paying to mow her lawn.
Michelle Maree Ardron, now 42, pleaded guilty in February to a charge of committing an act of indecency on a child.
She received an indicative sentence of 16 months in jail, to be served in the community by way of an intensive correction order, when she appeared in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday.
Agreed facts tendered to the court show that in November 2018, the victim knocked on Ardron’s door in Curtin and asked her if she would like him to mow her lawns.
He gave her a flyer for his lawnmowing enterprise and they agreed that he would return the next day and do the job for $40.
The boy turned accordingly turned up and started doing the work for Ardron, who looked “drowsy” and told him she would pay him later.
Ardron emerged from the house multiple times to speak to the victim, and at one point gave him a glass of water.
When the boy had finished, he took down Ardron’s phone number with the intention of working out a lawnmowing schedule with her.
He went to get the glass to return it to the house, and while he was gone Ardron put on the highly unusual headwear.
She asked him when he came back if he smoked “weed”, and told him he should when he replied in negative terms.
Ardron then kissed the boy on the lips and forced her tongue into his mouth, with the victim saying this tasted “foul”.
She also touched the teenager’s genital area, rubbed against him and took off all her clothes.
The victim said he froze and only snapped out of that state when he noticed a strong smell of cigarette smoke.
He told Ardron: “I’m 15 and I shouldn’t be doing this.”
Ardron stopped and replied: “Sorry, I thought you were older.”
The victim managed to leave after telling Ardron he had other lawns to mow, noticing as he departed that “a big poster” emblazoned with the words “keep out” had been put on the front door.
He went home, feeling “shocked and conflicted”, and brushed his teeth because he felt “unclean”.
The boy told his mother what had happened, and she in turn alerted police.
Following an investigation, Ardron received a court summons last year.
On Thursday, her barrister James Sabharwal said he would try to persuade Chief Justice Helen Murrell to sentence Ardron to a good behaviour order.
He said Ardron was hoping to regain care of a young child, who was currently in foster care, and the court heard any sentence of imprisonment would result in her being placed on the sex offender register for eight years.
But Chief Justice Murrell said her preliminary view was that the offence was too serious for anything but a jail term to be imposed.
“The appalling offence has had a significant impact on the complainant,” she said, noting that the boy had provided a victim impact statement detailing his “disgust”, nightmares and flashbacks.
The judge proposed a community-based jail sentence of 16 months, but allowed Mr Sabarwhal time to obtain further information about exactly that sentence would mean for Ardron’s chances of obtaining care of the young child.
The case returns to court on May 13.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
