A “sexy paramedic” and bodybuilder who has featured in designer brand photo shoots grabbed a woman’s crotch on a night out, moments after his friend touched another woman’s breast, a court has heard.
Just last year, topless photos of Jayden William Hedt’s jacked body were splashed all over an article by men’s clothes brand TEAM8, which named him an “inspiration” and their “sexy paramedic”.
But at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, the 29-year-old was in the limelight for a far worse reason – having sexually touched a 21-year-old woman without her consent.
It was revealed in court that Hedt only joined the fitness industry after he was suspended from his job with NSW Ambulance, pending a review.
That followed a decade in the industry.
Reading from agreed facts, Magistrate Daniel Reiss detailed the offence which he did not convict Hedt for.
On March 9 last year, Hedt and another friend were at the rooftop bar of the Potts Point Hotel in Sydney’s glitzy eastern suburbs when they were approached by the 21-year-old victim.
Magistrate Reiss said the woman alleged Hedt’s friend had grabbed her friend’s breast moments earlier and asked Hedt if he thought that was appropriate.
“You or your friend said ‘it depends on the situation’ … then that (conversation) has gone back and forth for several minutes,” Magistrate Reiss said to Hedt.
“After a short while, you said ‘what about this?’. You moved towards her, your hand reached out towards her genital area, you touched her outside her clothing in her genital area and immediately withdrew your hand”.
The complainant and her friend left the venue distraught before involving police, who took Hedt and his friend to Kings Cross Police Station before they were granted bail.
Magistrate Reiss said Hedt’s act was clearly distressing for the victim, but did not appear to be motivated by sexual gratification.
“(Hedt) indicated it was a power thing, and some way to degrade her … you were being a bit of a smart alec, having a debate and she’s upset … perhaps to show off to your friends to some degree,” Magistrate Reiss said.
He noted alcohol played a role in the touching, having drunk “10 vodkas” at the bar, though the intoxicated was “not a justification”.
In April last year, TEAMM8 wrote an online article headlined: “JAYDEN HEDT, OUR SEXY PARAMEDIC AND M8 OF APRIL” in which they thanked “the stars above” for “people like Hedt”.
“And we couldn’t think of a better candidate to feature as our inspirational guy,” it read.
Hedt, who has 22,000 followers in Instagram, told the journalist he had worked in London as a paramedic, where he responded to the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, before he moved home to Bondi in Sydney to continue his health work.
Asked what he had in store for the year ahead, Hedt said he was completing his Masters in Critical Care, finishing his Cert IV Fitness, competing in WBFF Bodybuilding and working towards becoming a firefighter, adding: “I’ll also be asking Love Island if they want to give me a shot!”
The court heard Hedt initially pleaded not guilty to the charge but changed his plea to guilty after a significant amendment to the agreed facts and a separate charge was withdrawn.
Magistrate Reiss said Hedt’s criminal record was limited and included one drug possession charge relating to a music festival in 2020.
“There’s other material (here showing) you’ve occasionally dabbled in ecstacy and cocaine – disturbing and surprising for a paramedic with your training,” he said.
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“You’ve acknowledged you had a problem with drinking previously … the psychologist report says your alcohol use is under control currently.”
Having been suspended from his paramedic job since these charges came to light a year ago, Magistrate Reiss said Hedt had faced a degree of extra-curial punishment.
Hedt was ultimately spared from a criminal conviction and instead sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order without supervision.
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