The man, now in his 40s, pulled his hood over his head when he saw the media after being granted bail in 2023. Photo: Albert McKnight.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to child abuse.
A serial child rapist has been sentenced to years in jail for the repeated abuse he inflicted on a teenage girl over three years, including sexually assaulting her on a daily basis.
Prosecutors estimated the former public servant, who also served in the Army, was in his 30s when he raped the girl more than 300 times when she was between 14 and 18 in the 2010s.
The man, who is now aged in his 40s, was arrested in 2023 before he eventually pleaded guilty to maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person under special care, then had his bail revoked in his ACT Supreme Court sentencing hearing in October.
Neither his name nor his connection to the girl can be reported legally.
On Friday (14 November), Justice David Mossop said the man raped the girl at least once a week for 125 weeks, but that number did not account for the periods when he sexually assaulted her more frequently.
The man started grooming the girl before he raped her for the first time. Afterwards, the 14-year-old told him he needed to buy her the morning-after pill, and he did.
He began raping her each week, which progressed to nearly every day, and bought her sex toys while also telling her he wanted to marry and start a family with her.
“Throughout the time, the victim felt that she was loved, a feeling that she had not felt before,” Justice Mossop said.
On one occasion, when she was 15 or 16, the pair stayed at a hotel together with the man’s friend. That night, the man raped her, before his friend also raped her.
After she became an adult, her friend told her she had to leave the man. The friend then dropped her off with her family and she did not have sex with her abuser again.
“The offending is very serious,” Justice Mossop said.
“This involved a gross breach of trust and the abuse of a parent-like relationship.
“The offending is in the high range of objective seriousness for this offence.”
He said the man’s prior good character had allowed him to commit his offences. He noted the offending was life-transforming for the vulnerable girl and he had clearly been conscious that his conduct was wrong.
He had no prior criminal history and had recognised the disgraceful nature of his conduct, the judge said.
The man sat forward in the courtroom’s dock, staring downwards for most of his sentencing.
He was convicted and sentenced to a total of 12 and a half years’ jail with an eight-year non-parole period, which means he is eligible to be released from custody in September 2033.
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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