A real estate boss has admitted to asking a woman he was interviewing what she would do to secure a job before later grabbing her hand and unzipping his pants.
Create Real Estate director Steven Tabban, 38, was supported by his heavily pregnant wife as he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two women at Melbourne County Court on Tuesday.
The two separate incidents took place during ‘after hours’ job interviews at Tabban’s office in Sunshine, west Melbourne.
In November 2019, a then 19-year-old went to his office with the understanding she was being interviewed for a receptionist role.
Director of Create Real Estate Steven Tabban (pictured) sexually assaulted two women who believed they were being interviewed for a position at his Sunshine office, in west Melbourne
The former Brimbank Council candidate told the teenager another applicant was being interviewed at the same time but the pair would be kept in separate rooms, reported the Herald Sun.
Tabban asked the young woman ‘what would you do to secure the role?’ She then replied she would put in extra hours.
The real estate boss left the room and upon returning claimed the other applicant offered ‘a full body massage and a hand job’, but the woman said she was not willing to do that.
Tabban told the woman he would have to inform the other applicant her offer was better.
The pair then discussed an employment contract before Tabban insisted the woman enter a back room in the office to give him a massage.
The woman complied but was told she had to finish her ‘end of the bargain’ when she asked to finalise the contract.
Tabban then grabbed the woman’s hand before unzipping his pants and told her, ‘You don’t have to give me a blow job, just give me a hand job.’
The woman refused and asked Tabban if he would like his daughter treated in the same manner.
Tabban continued to ask the woman to perform the sex act and claimed it would ‘benefit her’, before she was able to leave when someone knocked on the room door.
In a victim impact statement read out to the court, the woman said she was left traumatised by Tabban’s offending.
‘Since that day, I barely ate, let alone sleep, because every time I closed my eyes I found myself back in that room in his grasp,’ she said while fighting back tears.
Tabban asked both women what they would do to secure the role. In one of the incidents, the 38-year-old unzipped his pants and grabbed the hand of a then 19-year-old before suggesting she perform a sex act
In a separate incident in 2018, a woman in her early 20s was asked a similar question by Tabban.
He asked the young woman what she would be willing to do to get ‘everything she wanted’ before suggesting she run naked through the office screaming ‘Create is great’.
The woman refused and asked if there was anything else she could do.
Tabban told the woman he had ‘something in mind’ and told the woman to sit on his lap before he put his hand on her thigh and then under her armpit.
He then tried to kiss her but was denied by the woman who told him she felt uncomfortable.
The woman said she found it difficult to work and face other men after her interview with Tabban, in a victim impact statement read out in court on her behalf.
‘I feared facing another male one on one in a close space, fearing it would happen again,’ the woman said.
‘I started thinking all small business owners had the same personality as him.’
Both incidents were reported to police, with investigators setting up pretext phone calls with Tabban and raiding his office.
The former Brimbank Council candidate (pictured) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting both women and will be sentenced later in the year
Tabban admitted to some of his conduct during the phone calls but later refused to comment, Herald Sun reported.
Prosecutor Richard Pirrie told the pre-sentence hearing Tabban planned the assaults and used his position of power to prey on the young women.
Judge Gregory Lyon commended the women for having the courage to give their impact statements but said it was unlikely Tabban would receive jail time as he has no prior criminal record.
Judge Lyon told Tabban he would have to successfully complete a sex offenders program.
‘(Avoiding jail) will rely entirely on your motivation Mr Tabban,’ Judge Lyon said.
Tabban is on bail and will face court for sentencing later this year.
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