The man, now aged in his mid-40s, pulled his hood over his head when he saw media after he was granted bail in 2023. Photo: Albert McKnight.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to child abuse.
A former public servant raped a teenager hundreds of times before he went on to blame her for his own behaviour after he was arrested, a court has heard.
He met the girl when she was 14 in the 2010s. Over the next three-and-a-half years, until she was 18, he progressed from having sex with her every week to having sex with her every day.
As a result, prosecutors estimated he raped her more than 300 times, the ACT Supreme Court heard during his sentencing hearing on Wednesday (1 September).
Both the name of the man, who is now aged in his mid-40s, and his connection to the girl are legally unable to be reported.
A psychologist thought his crimes were opportunistic, but the prosecutor argued that as his assaults became a daily occurrence over the years, this meant his behaviour went beyond opportunistic to predatory.
She said the girl had been particularly vulnerable, and the man treated her as his partner.
“It is a significant breach of trust,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor also alleged the man had made victim-blaming comments.
For instance, the man suggested that the girl had made “flirtatious” comments to him, claimed she had told him she had planned to “entice” him, and said she had been very attached to him.
He also claimed that when he apologised to her for his behaviour, she made jokes about it.
Barrister Riyad El-Choufani said the psychologist thought his client had groomed the girl, but he also had cognitive distortions about her maturity and behaved in a way that encouraged her to participate in the acts.
“This is not a case of coercive control or a case of violence,” Mr El-Choufani said.
He said there was powerful evidence of his client’s remorse, including how he told the author of a court report that his behaviour had been “disgraceful” and that he knew it was wrong at the time.
“I’ve taken this from her,” the man told the psychologist.
“Perhaps she was looking for a father figure.”
He also said, “That was on me. I should have stopped it”.
Mr El-Choufani said his client had struggled with mental health issues for years and was genuinely remorseful.
“He should have been a father figure to her, not taken advantage of her,” he said.
The barrister said the psychologist concluded his client had demonstrated significant self-reflection and insight, which minimised his risk of reoffending.
The man pleaded guilty to the persistent sexual abuse of a young person.
He asked for his bail to be revoked so he could begin serving his sentence behind bars from Wednesday, and was led away by guards once the sentencing hearing finished.
Justice David Mossop has reserved his decision on the sentence and will hand it down at a later date.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377, Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. In an emergency, call triple zero.
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