A man, who is now aged in his early 30s, has been handed a jail sentence by the ACT Supreme Court. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual and child abuse.
A jail sentence has been handed to a man who repeatedly indecently assaulted a pregnant woman and her young daughter after an Australia Day barbecue in Canberra.
The then-28-year-old went to the barbecue with his long-time friend and his friend’s partner, who was two months pregnant, as well as her eight-year-old daughter in 2023.
He had arranged to stay with his friend, so he joined the family when they left that night.
He was seated next to the girl in the car and indecently touched her body during the drive home, only stopping when she screamed.
Later in the evening, the girl was sitting in her lounge room when the man came in and again indecently touched her body until she got up and left.
The members of the family then went to bed. The friend was sleeping in a bedroom with his pregnant partner and one of their other children, while the man was supposed to sleep in the lounge room.
But after midnight, he went into the bedroom and began to grope and indecently touch the pregnant woman in her bed. She wanted him to believe she was asleep, so she rolled away and he left.
But he soon returned, climbed into bed behind her and again began indecently touching her body.
The woman said her initial response was a “frightened freeze”, but she eventually pushed him away, telling him, “Get off me, you crazy c-t”. She jumped over the still-sleeping bodies of her partner and their child and locked herself in the bathroom.
When she came out, she told her partner what happened, and he called the police, who arrived and took the man away.
The man, who is legally unable to be named to protect the identities of his victims, was found guilty of two counts of committing an act of indecency on a person under the age of 10 in an ACT Supreme Court jury trial.
He then pleaded guilty to one count of committing an act of indecency.
The girl said the incidents made her feel mad, sad, worried and scared, while her mother said she felt terrified, helpless, scared and worried.
“She feels like a shell of the person that she was,” Justice David Mossop said in his decision from earlier this month.
Also, the man’s friend said he no longer allowed his children to go to sleepovers because of what occurred that evening.
“The offending [against the girl] involved a gross breach of the trust placed in the offender by [his friend and his friend’s partner], who were allowing him to mix with their family in their family home as a result of extending hospitality to him,” Justice Mossop said.
“Sexual offending directed to young children by adult males is appropriately a matter of concern in the community and must be denounced. Similarly, it must be deterred. So too with offending against adult females.”
The man told the author of a pre-sentence report he was unable to recall the night of the offences due to his high level of intoxication, but Justice Mossop said these claims were not consistent with the agreed facts of the case.
The man was also adamant he did not commit the offences against the girl.
He was sentenced to a total of two years and one month’s jail with a 13-month non-parole period.
With time served, he will be eligible to be released from custody in March 2026.
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 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.
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