A woman has spoken out about her trauma after her former boss at a Lake Macquarie real estate agency was fined for drunkenly assaulting her at a staff Christmas party.
It was the early hours of December 19, 2020, when Troy McLennan grabbed an employee from behind, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and chest, and tried to use his foot to sweep hers from under her.
She elbowed him in the groin. She moved around a kitchen island bench to take refuge and was telling him to stop. She grabbed another man to use as a body shield.
None of it stopped him from following, laughing, and reaching for her.
It also did not deter him from behaving disgracefully a couple of years later, when he drunkenly groped, touched and kissed two female staff members at a separate work event in Sydney in 2022, ignoring requests to stop.
McLennan, now 39, was due to face a hearing at Belmont Local Court on Tuesday, July 14, on a sexual touching charge stemming from the 2020 matter, but instead pleaded guilty to common assault.
He was convicted and fined $2000.
The victim, a woman then aged in her 20s, told the Newcastle Herald the sentence felt like a cop out.
"My years of trauma are worth $2000," she said through tears.
"That stings, it honestly just feels awful. I know it's not the worst outcome I could have had today, but it doesn't feel like justice.
"If I can elbow someone in the groin and that's not enough to stop them from grabbing me, then what is?"
The woman said the assault had made her paranoid. She said it had caused her to be repeatedly unwell.
"The more and more time went on, and coming to court, I just felt like my mental and physical health had given up on me," she said.
The court heard McLennan had acted with a sense of impunity on the night because of his position of authority. The woman said she "absolutely" agreed and described him as manipulative.
"Why do you think I didn't come forward for so long?" she said.
"You don't see it until you're out, but it's unbelievable looking back."
The woman reported the incident to police in August 2025. McLennan was later charged.
In December 2024, McLennan was convicted of two counts of sexual touching over "repeated" incidents of groping and touching two then-employees at an awards night in 2022.
Judge Stephen Olischlager accepted McLennan had no criminal record at the time of the 2020 assault but said it was not "an isolated, out-of-character incident".
McLennan was an owner and director of Ray White East Lake Macquarie at the time and was the woman's boss. He was "removed" from that business after his earlier convictions.
"That position of authority undoubtedly gives rise to that sense of impunity," Judge Olischlager said.
He said the assault was not violent but the touching was clearly unwanted to the highest degree.
"Clearly you continued to follow and reach for the victim, notwithstanding her clear indication by her conduct she wanted no further interaction with you that evening," he said.
The court heard McLennan had lost his real estate licence and was now working in consulting, was engaging with mental health professionals and had reduced his drinking.
Judge Olischlager said it appeared behaviours that may have given rise to McLennan's offending had been largely addressed.
A statement of agreed facts detailed how the victim and McLennan attended a work Christmas party on December 18, 2020.
It started with alcoholic drinks at the office followed by paintball, a boat cruise and drinks at a yacht club. McLennan and four staff members then moved on to a residence.
Between 2am and 3am, when McLennan was slurring and falling over from being heavily intoxicated, he assaulted the woman.
