South-East equestrian Joshua Slape jailed for four years for sexual abuse of a child

A ‘brazen’ predator who sexually abused a young girl who saw him as a role model has been slammed by a judge for accepting responsibility “too little, too late”.

A vile pedophile who abused a young girl who looked up to him has been slammed by a judge for accepting his guilt “too little, too late”.

Joshua James David Slape, 24, was jailed for the shocking betrayal after he sexually assaulted the child on several occasions, including next to his sleeping girlfriend.

During sentencing on Friday, the District Court heard the victim was groped at Slape’s home during a party, while his girlfriend lay sleeping near her.

The court heard the victim had also been sexually abused at both her home and the Slape family home in Glenburnie, with one occasion Slape saying to her “I know that you like it”.

“She said you were … someone she looked up to given your expertise with horses, which conceded with her love of horses,” Judge Heath Barklay said.

Joshua James David Slape was jailed for four years for the child sex offending. Picture: Facebook

“There was clearly an imbalance of power between you and the victim.”

Victim impact statements were read to the District Court last month by a prosecutor.

The victim, who was aged 15 at the time of the offending, said she now struggles to trust anyone or feel safe.

“I don’t see the world with good people in it anymore, I see it as a place filled with monsters who only care for themselves,” she said.

The victim said she had since sold her horse and stopped anything to do with what was her biggest passion in life.

“I absolutely adored my horse and loved her to the moon back, she was my best friend and saviour,” she said.

“The thought of him when I looked at her curdled my stomach.”

The victim’s mother said she blamed herself for what Slape did to her daughter.

“Sadly this special time to spend together sharing our love of horses feels like it has been stolen away from us,” she said.

“Someone we all treated and trusted as family has betrayed our daughter and our family.”

Slape was found guilty by Judge Barklay in December after a judge alone trial.

The court heard Slape now accepted his guilt but Judge Barklay said it showed no evidence of his remorse.

“It is obviously too little, too late,” he said.

“Your offending was sustained, invasive and carried out with a level of entitlement.”

The court heard Slape would continue running his business of buying and selling horses once released from jail.

Judge Barklay described Slape’s offending as “opportunistic, brazen and bullish” and would continue to be “deeply damaging” for the victim.

He sentenced Slape to four years jail, with a non-parole period of two years and eight months.

“You imposed yourself on a young and vulnerable teenage girl. You banked on her not saying anything,” Judge Barklay said.

“The idea that you would reach out and grab her genital area or breasts is outrageous and vile behaviour.”

The sentence was backdated to November 12, 2020.