The 72-year-ol was convicted at Griffith Court

"It's no joke for a young woman to be humiliated in that way."

Those were the words issued by Magistrate Pauline Wright towards a 72-year-old convicted of sexually touching someone without their consent.

Victorian resident Michael Ford was found guilty in Griffith Local Court on March 19.

He was charged with sexually touching a woman at the 2024 Homebush Rodeo in Balranald.

Ford plead not guilty to the charge on September 1, 2024, but changed his plea to guilty on March 4.

Ford’s solicitor Paul Keane said the defendant had recently separated from his wife and while he had a criminal record, his rate of offences had “slowed down”.

"He has seriously slowed down in regards to criminal matters," Mr Keane said.

Ford was fined $1500 for the act and placed on a community corrections order for 12 months.