Child survivors of horrific sexual abuse ‘banished’ from communities, judge

A Supreme Court judge has called on the NT parliament to address an emerging trend that sees victims of horrific sexual abuse effectively ‘banished’ from their communities.

A SUPREME Court judge has called on the NT parliament to take action to address an emerging trend that sees victims of horrific sexual abuse effectively “banished” from their home communities.

In sentencing a man for keeping a young teenage girl as a sex slave in a remote community, Justice Jenny Blokland said the victim had been further punished as she felt she could not return home, a fact she said “community leaders need to seriously reflect on”.

“The surrounding circumstances are so extreme, the cruelty shown to the victim is so abhorrent, it is shocking that, apparently, no one knew or took any action in (the community) to stop what you were doing in your room,” she said.

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“(It) is a well-functioning community, respected by the broader community, yet, to make the overall consequences of the offending on the victim’s situation worse, she has had to leave (there) because of the offending by you.

“I urge the corrections policy or legislative minds to turn their attention to this — we may be witnessing the emergence of a trend which sees victims of sexual assault being incidentally punished in their home communities through a form of banishment.”

In sentencing 32-year-old Simeon Riley to 12 years in jail after he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, Justice Blokland described the circumstances of his offending and its aftermath as “chilling”.

Justice Jenny Blokland

She said the girl was just 13 or 14 in December 2005 when Riley approached her while sniffing petrol and holding a machete before ordering her back to his house where he repeatedly and brutally raped her.

A few weeks later, the girl was waiting outside a concert at the local rec hall when Riley again approached her and repeatedly punched her in the face, telling her “You are mine now”.

He again forced the “crying and distressed” young girl to come back to his house where he again forced himself on her and “kept her living inside (his) room” for several weeks.

Justice Blokland said Riley wedged an axe under the door so it could not be opened and the girl was forced to urinate and defecate through a hole in the floorboards during her horrific ordeal.

The girl eventually told police what had happened in 2018 and “bravely” read out a victim impact statement to the court.

“You treated her like an animal, she said, like a dog that you lock up, she feels her life is ruined,” she said.

“I sincerely hope the victim receives the support she clearly needs and deserves. While I hope she understands the broader community stands with her, it is regrettable that she cannot return to live in her home community.”

Riley will be eligible for parole in 2029.

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Originally published as Child survivors of horrific sexual abuse ‘banished’ from communities, judge