John William Hardy shattered lives and divided the town where his victims lived, court told

John William Hardy was a predator hiding in plain sight. After ingratiating himself into a KI town, he picked up where he left off in NSW – abusing boys.

The eventual revelation of John William Hardy’s immeasurable crimes against Kangaroo Island children began with the attempted suicide of a young boy in 2019 – 17 years after his offending there began – the District Court has heard.

The damaged child would tell his parents and police that Hardy, a well-known figure on Kangaroo Island, had indecently assaulted him.

The web of victims and abuse expanded as officers investigated and Hardy’s horrific criminal history begun to surface.

He had previously served a long period of custody in New South Wales for the abuse of 24 young boys in remarkably similar situations as his victims on Kangaroo Island.

Hardy was in March found guilty of nine counts of indecent assault against seven victims on the island, aged between six and 14 when the offending occurred between 2002 and 2019.

John William Hardy was found guilty of abusing boys on Kangaroo Island between 2002 and 2019. Picture: Supplied

During sentencing submissions for the now 71-year-old recidivist sex offender, Judge Paul Cuthbertson noted Hardy had created opportunities to be around his young victims.

Through nine victim impact statements read to the court, Judge Cuthbertson heard of divisions in the town after Hardy’s arrest – with some of the young victims accused of lying by members of their abuser’s church.

But at the heart of the statements was a disbelief that a predator had been allowed to move to the town, ingratiate himself into the families and begin again years of abusing children.

Hardy sat expressionless as the victims and their families described the trauma caused by his abuse.

Judge Cuthbertson, later in the hearing, described Hardy’s expression as defiant and remorseless when confronted by his victims.

“How didn’t we see the signs?” the father of one victim said.

“I feel angry this person was allowed to be in the community preying on children in plain sight but nobody saw it.

“I am proud of my son because he has saved other children in his community from being abused.”

The mother of the same victim said it was “heartbreaking” to watch her child in so much pain and not know how to help.

“How did our community not know there was a predator among us?” she said.

One of the young victims wrote in his victim impact statement that he felt “weak and disgusting” after the offending.

“Part of my life has been taken away, Hardy gave me a life sentence,” he said.

Another victim of Hardy said he had spiralled into drug and alcohol abuse in his teens and early 20s as he felt he was a “part of the crime” perpetrated against him.

Yet another victim said he had been within seconds of taking his own life following the abuse but had stopped because he had received a text message from a girl at his then-high school.

The court heard Hardy had served a significant time in prison in the 1990s for the abuse of multiple boys in Grafton.

Hardy has remained behind bars since his arrest in May, 2019.

Ellie Mansfield, for Hardy, asked Judge Cuthbertson to fashion a sentence that would leave her client with hope he might one day be released into the community.

Hardy will be sentenced next month.