Prisoner star Maggie Kirkpatrick has appeared in a Melbourne court as she tries to appeal her conviction for sexually assaulting a vulnerable teenage fan more than 30 years ago.
The Sydney-based actress, 74, was last month found guilty of assaulting the 14-year-old at a Prahran home she rented while filming the hit television show Prisoner in the 1980s.
Kirkpatrick was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order, including 100 hours of community work, and placed on the sex offenders register for eight years.
Her barrister, Justin Hennebery, lodged an immediate appeal with the County Court of Victoria.
The court on Friday was told Kirkpatrick's appeal hearing would last about two days from December 7, with witnesses for both the prosecution and defence to testify.
Kirkpatrick's portrayal of Joan "The Freak" Ferguson made her a household name in Australia in the 1980s, with scores of fans including the Melbourne teenager.
In 1984, the girl was a patient at a psychiatric hospital where she befriended a woman who also worked on the show.
That woman arranged a meeting with Kirkpatrick, after which the actress collected the fan from the hospital and took her to Prahran.
She cooked dinner for the girl and they watched some television before going to Kirkpatrick's bedroom, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard in August.
Magistrate Peter Mealy found Kirkpatrick then sexually abused the 14-year-old.
She was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and one charge of committing a gross act with a person under 16.
Kirkpatrick has since appeared in television shows All Saints, Pizza, Blue Heelers and Water Rats, and most recently had a role in the theatre musical, Wicked.
Kirkpatrick did not comment as she left court.
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