Racing identity Robert William Symonds awaiting sentencing in underaged sex case from 1990s

KNOWN for decades as “Mother Goose” within the Adelaide gay beat scene, Robert William Symonds is behind bars, awaiting sentence for having sex with a teenage boys in the 1990s.

Robert Symonds will be sentenced next Thursday.

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KNOWN for decades as “Mother Goose” within the Adelaide gay beat scene, Robert William Symonds is behind bars awaiting sentence for having sex with a teenage boys in the 1990s.

The former bookmaker, who was acquitted of similar charges in 2011, was convicted of three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with the troubled teen he met inside a Rymill Park toilet block in September 1994.

Named repeatedly as a suspected child sex predator during the Mullighan Inquiry, Symonds told the jury he had been “set up” because he had once provided information to police about a man suspected of involvement in the so-called Family Murders.

He was dubbed “Mother Goose” — apparently for his distinctive walking style — and used the same story in his 2011 trial, that a man he believed was an accomplice of Bevan Spencer Von Einem had attempted to get revenge by having former teenagers make false claims against him.

Former Supreme Court judge Ted Mulligham headed the sex abuse inquiry.

Symonds, 66, represented himself during his District Court trial, telling the jury that he had frequented Adelaide gay beats since the early 1970s but had never had sex with a minor.

But unlike his 2011 acquittal, the jury rejected Symonds’ defence and delivered a guilty verdict, after which Symonds was taken into custody.

Symonds was 43 and the victim 14 when he took the boy to his Vale Park home, and later to the Hackham home of another convicted paedophile, John Argent, who also performed acts of fellatio on the teenager. Argent is already in prison after being convicted over the incident last year, and gave evidence against Symonds, who he had known through the network of gay beats since the 1970s.

Prosecutor Christopher Allen said Symonds was 43 at the time he met the 14-year old, but the former bookmaker told police he believed the teen was aged about 20.

“(The victim) was vulnerable at the time that this occurred, and that is something that should have been apparent to Mr Symonds,” Mr Allen said.

Mr Allen said Symonds had shown “no victim empathy or remorse” for his victim, who he claimed at trial was lying for “financial gain”.

The victim, now 38, went to police in 2016, telling police he had heard other people refer to Symonds as “Mother Goose”, who would take young men from gay beats to the homes of other older men.

Despite being repeatedly named as a suspected key player in procuring underage male prostitutes for other paedophiles over many years, Symonds had never before been convicted of any sexual-related offending.

He appeared this week before Judge Barry Beazley for sentencing submissions, however the hearing could not proceed because prison staff refused him permission to bring notes to the court.

Symonds will be sentenced next Thursday when he will appear via videolink from Mount Gambier Prison.