By Blake Kagi

Topic: Sexual Offences

Western Power's manager raped a colleague, and now the company is in trouble.

In short:

Three Western Power employees were stood down for giving good character references for a manager who raped a female colleague.

The manager, Jeffrey David Spinner, was sentenced to five years in jail for the crime.

The energy minister of WA has ordered Western Power to review how it handles serious issues.

Three employees who gave good character references for the manager were stood down, and the energy minister is investigating.

This story has details that might upset some readers.

Jeffrey David Spinner was sentenced to five years in jail for taking a colleague to his hotel room and raping her.

The woman was very drunk and needed help walking.

After going to Spinner's hotel room by mistake, the woman sat in the shower with her clothes on.

Spinner helped the woman out of the shower, and she got into his bed with a towel on.

The next morning, the woman woke up to find Spinner raping her.

Jeffrey David Spinner was sentenced to five years in jail for raping a colleague.

The judge said the crime was out of character for Spinner.

The judge said Spinner was a good person before this crime.

A colleague said Spinner was a respected worker known for being professional and honest.

Spinner's relative said he always respected women.

The judge said the crime was serious and had bad effects on the victim.

'Completely unacceptable': minister

The energy minister of WA is upset with the Western Power employees who gave good character references.

The minister said the case is shocking and disturbing.

The minister ordered Western Power to investigate and stood down the employees who gave character references.

The minister said the employees who gave character references did not show good judgment.

The minister supports the woman who was raped.

The woman was strong and brave to report the crime and go to court.

The minister might order a third-party review of the case.

The internal review will take two weeks, and the results will be made public.

Jeffrey David Spinner talked to ABC News in 2016.

The minister said the government might stop using character references in sentencing for sexual assault cases.

The minister ordered Western Power to review how it communicates with the government and handles serious issues.

The minister was disappointed that she was not briefed about the case.

CEO learned of character references this week

The CEO of Western Power said the company investigated the incident in 2024.

The CEO said the company fired the manager who raped the colleague.

The CEO said he only learned about the character references this week.

The CEO said Western Power was not aware that its employees gave character references.

The CEO said it was not good enough that the company was not aware.

The CEO said the company will review why its employees gave character references.

Western Power gives energy to most of the state.

The CEO said the company's management did not attend the sentencing because they were not told about a date change.

The CEO said the company should have been at the sentencing.

The CEO is concerned about the victim's wellbeing.

The CEO called the victim to offer support and said Western Power is there to help her.

The CEO started a review of the company's safety and culture program.

Practice Listening