A former journalist has been sentenced to six months in prison, wholly suspended, for sexually assaulting a child at a Townsville pub in 2024.

65-year-old Peter Michael Hardwick, a long-time reporter with the Toowoomba Chronicle, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent treatment of a child under the age of 12.

CCTV played to the court showed three children, including the 11-year-old complainant, looking at a fish tank at the Seaview Hotel in Townsville around lunchtime on Saturday, March 2, 2024.

In the footage, Hardwick is seen approaching the children wearing a hat, a blue shirt and shorts. As he passes, he reaches out with his left hand and touches the girl on the buttocks before exiting the frame.

The girl is visibly concerned and can be seen talking to the other childr

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