A former part-time pastor has been sentenced for grooming a 16-year-old member of his Hobart church who had sought his help for mental health issues.
Peter James Schnetler, 48, was convicted of grooming with intent to expose a child or young person to indecent material for engaging in inappropriate online communication with the autistic teenager over August and September 2023.
The Supreme Court heard that what began as pastoral support through daily messaging evolved into inappropriate conduct, with Schnetler repeatedly expressing romantic feelings toward the girl and making comments about her appearance.
The offending escalated during an Instagram “truth or dare” exchange where Schnetler described sexual acts with a woman who was not his wife, prompting the victim to confide in her mother.
While church leadership conducted an internal investigation after the family complained, the matter was only reported to police after the teenager consulted her GP.
During police questioning, Schnetler initially claimed uncertainty about his intentions, calling his actions “misguided”.
He later admitted to a psychologist that his behaviour was “reckless” and “totally inappropriate”.
“[The victim] can properly be described as a person with a disability and although I do not think it can be considered the defendant was in a position of authority, he was quite clearly in a position of trust bestowed on him by the church and the complainant’s parents,” Acting Justice David Porter said.
“That trust was breached. It is not clear what long-term effect, if any, this has had on [the victim], but it was plainly distressing for her at the time.”
Acting Justice Porter ordered Schnetler to complete 105 hours of community service over 18 months and placed his name on the Community Protection Register for two years.
“Although it is said to have been a naive and opportunistic incident, I remain at a loss as what motivated you to do what you did,” he said.
