A former plastic surgeon with practices in Sydney and Melbourne has told how he was ashamed of grooming young girls for sex.

Richard Sackelariou, 70, paid six girls aged between 13 and 15 to join him in his hotel room in Sydney, Newcastle and Queensland.

Giving evidence in his own defence during a sentence hearing in Newcastle District Court today, Sackelariou said he was ashamed for what he had done.

“I’m appalled at that person … that I created such harm and damage,” Sackelario said.

“I can see that I’ve had psychological damage. I interposed myself during their sexual development, corrupted their normal sexual development.”

Sackelariou said the statements read out in a closed court today from two of his victims had been horrific to hear.

He said his wife, who is suffering from liver cancer, had been very upset and angry with him after his arrest and had since divorced him. His two sons refuse to talk to him.

Questioned by prosecutor Kristy Mulley, Sackelariou admitted he never thought about how his crimes would affect his victims and their families.

He said the past two-and-a-half years in custody had given him a lot of time to think about his actions.

Sackelariou said when he joined “sugar daddy” websites, he advertised for young women aged 18-24 and received an avalanche of responses which amazed him.

He went on to change the age group of young women he was seeking to 18-19.

Mulley said: “Even when you find out these girls are under 18, you continued to pursue them.”

Sackelariou replied: “With these individuals, that is what happened. I pursued them after I learnt they weren’t the age they stated they were.”

He has pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including five counts of causing a child aged between 14 and 18 to do an act of prostitution, one count of using a carriage service to procure someone under the age of 16 for sexual activity and one count of causing a child aged 14 or over to make child abuse material.

Sackelariou agreed to plead guilty to the 10 charges after the Crown dropped 30 other charges, including eight counts of having sexual intercourse with a child aged between 10 and 14.

The plastic surgeon admitted preying on six young girls aged 13, 14 and 15, between September 2021 and October 2022.

He would contact the girls on social media, including sugar daddy websites.

Sackelariou would offer to pay the girls for naked photos before arranging to meet at various hotel rooms.

He would always hand over the cash in a white envelope.

Sackelariou offered one 15-year-old girl from Sydney $1000 for sex but when she refused, he increased the offer to $3500 for 30 minutes and they met at the Chatswood Quest apartments.

He was arrested at his exclusive Vaucluse home on November 4, 2022, in relation to two of the young girls and police seized electronic devices containing messages, photographs and videos he had exchanged with his victims.

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