'I will always hate you': Teen sexually abused by older sister speaks out

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual abuse and incest.

The horrific actions of a young woman have resulted in a family tragedy, ending with her being sentenced for repeatedly sexually and indecently abusing her younger sister.

“How could my own sister, the person I called my best friend, do this to me?” the teenage survivor asked in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday.

She told the courtroom, in heart-breaking detail, about the impact of the abuse while her older sister looked on, visibly emotional.

“What hurts the most is I still love you … and I miss you,” the teenager said.

“What you did to me was wrong and I will always hate you for this.”

She was 14 and 15 while her older sister was 18 and 19 when the latter indecently touched her body and digitally raped her twice earlier in the 2020s.

On one occasion, she pinned her to the bed and grabbed her around the throat.

The teenager said similar abuse had also continued every week for about two years.

When she went to police, she said her own family didn’t believe her about the abuse and she had to move out of home and start to look after herself at just 16 years old.

“Everyone abandoned me and I had to fend for myself,” she said.

Before the abuse, she had been “a happy child with not a care in the world” and saw her sister as her best friend, leader and protector.

The teenager then felt “conflicted and heartbroken” the first time her sister abused her. As it continued, she would recognise when it was coming due to her sister’s behaviour, as she would start acting childishly.

“I would freeze. I couldn’t stop it,” she said.

She said she pleaded with her to stop and told their mother, who refused to believe her.

“It is so unfair that I spoke the truth and I was punished,” she said.

The woman faced a jury trial that ended in December 2024 with guilty verdicts for two counts each of incest on a person under 16 and committing an act of indecency on a person under 16.

Justice David Mossop said he was satisfied she was also guilty of a charge of assault.

The woman’s defence barrister, James Sabharwal, said his client was not at risk of reoffending, and had support in the community and stable employment.

He asked for his client to be sentenced to an intensive corrections order (ICO), which is a community-based sentence, with community service.

Prosecutor Marcus Dyason argued for a full-time jail sentence, noting the power imbalance between the sisters and the vulnerability of the survivor.

He said the woman’s family and friends gave character references to the court in which they spoke of a reluctance to accept she had engaged in these crimes, so he argued specific deterrence was an important factor on sentencing.

Justice Mossop said the woman, who is now aged in her 20s but legally cannot be named to protect her sister’s identity, maintained her innocence and demonstrated no remorse as well as little victim empathy.

He said her motivation for the offending remained obscure, with evidence indicating she didn’t have a sexual interest towards females in general.

But he declined to categorise the offending as “tomfoolery”, which Mr Sabharwal claimed it had been.

The woman was convicted and sentenced to one year and two-months’ jail to be served in the community by an ICO, with 240 hours of community service and an 18-month good behaviour order.

She had been supported by several people in the courtroom and was seen sobbing during her sentencing.

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 or by visiting www.1800respect.org.au. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.