‘Venom and greed’: Woman claimed molestation to extort elderly stepfather

A mother has been jailed over an extortion involving “venom and greed” against her stepfather who handed over more than $60,000 after she threatened to tell others he had molested her.

The woman was sentenced in the Brisbane District Court on Thursday.

A mother has been jailed over an extortion involving “venom and greed” against her stepfather who handed over more than $60,000 after she threatened to tell others he had molested her.

In 2021 there was a sexual encounter between the pair “apparently in consideration of a loan of money from the complainant to the defendant”.

Brisbane District Court heard the 81-year old man provided her with $8,000 and asked for a kiss to which the woman reluctantly agreed.

“You also say that without warning he kissed you on your bare breasts as well, and he asked you not to disclose that behaviour,” Judge Carl Heaton said at Thursday’s sentence hearing.

A few years later the woman began to endure financial hardship after a car crash and her mother indicated she and the stepfather could help her out.

At a meeting between the three the woman gave her stepfather a note demanding $63,650 which was the amount she had paid in rent over the last few years.

Crown prosecutor Sophie Harburg said the woman refused to negotiate.

“She asked for her mother’s telephone address book and she told the complainant that he had 20 minutes to transfer her the money or she would otherwise call his friends and relatives and tell them that he had molested her,” she said.

Feeling pressured the stepfather transferred the money to the woman.

Ms Harburg said the woman spent the money on a car, holiday, bills and put the remaining $38,000 in a term deposit.

The matter was reported to police and the woman told officers “I was trying to get him where it hurt the most. He loves his money”.

After she was charged and granted bail with a condition not to deal with the remaining money, she spent it on a car and repaying a loan to her sister, the court heard.

Barrister Kerala Drew said her client, who had no criminal history, had already taken steps towards rehabilitation by engaging with a psychologist.

She tendered a letter of remorse to the court in which Judge Heaton said he detected limited remorse and it said read more like a plea for clemency.

“Consider the unusual factual circumstances in which the offending occurred, circumstances in which it’s agreed there was sexual impropriety by an 80 year old man towards his stepdaughter in circumstances where she felt exceptionally pressured,” Ms Drew said.

The stepfather told the court, via telephone, he did not sexually assault her.

“She came into my study after she took the money and counted it, she hugged me tightly … we had kissing, hugging, fondly there was no further than that your honour,” he said.

A psychologist’s report indicated the woman was suffering from an adjustment disorder at the time and her out of character offending was the result of multiple stressors which pushed her “to breaking point”.

Judge Heaton accepted this reduced the woman’s moral culpability but her failure to make any attempt to repay the extorted amount undermined her claims of remorse. She did come to court however with an offer to pay him $8000 from her impending tax return.

Judge Heaton said the offending had a serious impact on the man.

“Your offending is perhaps particularly insidious in that he had actually offered to assist you and had extended money to assist you with your financial woes but you decided that you wanted more,” he said.

“There is an element of venom and greed in your offending.”

The woman, who pleaded guilty to extortion, was sentenced to two years jail to be suspended after serving four months. She was ordered to repay the stepfather.

Originally published as ‘Venom and greed’: Woman claimed molestation to extort elderly stepfather