Tasmania's main sexual assault victim advocacy group is horrified by suggestions in a Hobart court that a 17-year-old victim "significantly contributed" to her sexual assault.
The comment was made by defence lawyer, <NAME REMOVED>, SC, in the case of a Sydney-based amateur photographer who was convicted of sexually assaulting the aspiring model in a Hobart hotel room in 2011.
The court heard 33-year-old <NAME REMOVED> photographed the girl in a hotel room in lingerie, then naked, before he removed his clothes.
He then offered her $100 to "fool around", but she told him she was a "model, not a prostitute".
He then sexually assaulted her.
<NAME REMOVED> told the court "a more sensible girl" would not have gone to the hotel room to meet a man she had made contact with on the internet.
<NAME REMOVED> of the Sexual Assault Support Service says the comments are unacceptable.
"These sorts of attitudes values and comments being made in a way that is destructive both to victims but also gives licence to others in the community to continue this unacceptable act of sexually assaulting others that don't want to have sexual engagement with them," she said.
<NAME REMOVED> was given a six-month suspended sentence.
The Judge said <NAME REMOVED> had been "gentle" with the girl and hadn't been violent or threatened her.