John Zimmerman, Former Getaway Plan Manager, Pleads Guilty To Sex Crimes

The Former band manager of Australian alternative rock band, The Getaway Plan, has today pleaded guilty to 87 charges that include sex with underage girls and child pornography crimes.

Update: John Zimmerman sentenced to 16 years Jail

Zimmerman was arrested in April 2010 and is facing charges that involve over 55 victims that he met using 3 Facebook accounts and two Myspace accounts. The court heard Zimmerman would promise teenage fans of The Getaway Plan free tickets and the chance to go backstage in return for sexual favours SMH reports.

Prosecutor Louisa Dipietrantonio said :

Zimmerman, would lure the girls by calling them affectionate names like “babe”, “bub” and “gorgeous”.

The prosecutor stated, that young girls would chat with him online and some would agree to meet up with him. The meeting places were usually isolated places around Melbourne where Zimmerman would coax them into having sex with him.

Zimmerman would also convince young girls to send him naked pictures online. He would then blackmail them into meeting him, threatening to distribute the naked pictures if they refused.

He would also manipulate the girls that refused his advances, verbally abusing them, calling them slut, whore, fat or disgusting.

Prosecutor Louisa Dipietrantonio said he told one victim he would ‘treat you like you are living the rock star life’

One 14-year-old victim, who had informed Zimmerman that his advances were illegal, said she had received threatening messages and was too frightened to go to school or to sleep. Zimmerman then posted the word ‘Dead’ over one of her photos from her Facebook page.

When Music Feeds posted an article on his arrest in 2010 the page received over 100 comments with a number of them coming from girls who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by him.

The pre-sentence hearing is continuing before Judge Richard Maidment this week.

Music Feeds want to make it clear that The Getaway Plan are in no way implicated in the crimes committed by John Zimmerman. The band have had nothing to do with him since the allegations were made.

[Via SMH]

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