Mother ‘willingly’ discussed abusing her own child with boyfriend in messages, court told

The family of a mother who “willingly” discussed abusing her own young child with her boyfriend has spoken of their shock, rage and feelings of betrayal.

A mother who “willingly and voluntarily” shared messages with her boyfriend about abusing her young child has been told to “take a good long look in the mirror” by family members now caring for the child.

In a victim impact statement read to the District Court, the “angry and disappointed” family member said she hoped the mother would “reflect on the consequences that you have inflicted on this child”.

“You need to take a good long look in the mirror and realise a mother does not behave like this to their child,” she said.

The family member said the child, who was sexually abused by the boyfriend when she was aged about five, was “still too young to comprehend a lot of what happened”.

The court heard the mother, who pleaded guilty to aggravated charges of communicating to procure a child for sexual activity and making a record of a child engaged in a private act for her role in the offending, was a “willing and voluntary” participant in the message conversations with her boyfriend.

“I couldn’t believe my own flesh and blood could do this … There is no excuse for what (the mother) has done,” the family member said in the statement.

“We consider looking after our kids and our family as a priority and it clearly wasn’t for her.

“She should have protected her daughter. It doesn’t look like she really cared much about anything other than herself.”

The family member said the girl knows she was now safe with loving parents.

A prosecutor told the court the girl’s mother and her boyfriend had shared multiple messages that were “clearly of a sexual nature” about the child, including discussing sex acts and referring to the child as their “little toy”. The mother also sent a naked photo of her child to the boyfriend.

The court heard the woman’s offending was uncovered when police went to arrest her boyfriend for other offending.

The boyfriend previously pleaded guilty to physically offending against the girl, including charges of unlawful sexual intercourse, and was jailed for 11 years and three months with a non-parole period of almost nine years.

The prosecutor said the mother was “using the child as a method of, at the very least, maintaining a relationship with (her boyfriend)” and held concerns about her prospects of rehabilitation.

He said that in a letter of apology, the mother referred to being “played” and “controlled” by the boyfriend, but the message conversations showed “she was a willing participant and often the instigator of the conduct”.

Mark Twiggs, for the woman, said the boyfriend “was the person who groomed my client to facilitate his sexual gratification”.

The child’s mother returns to court next week to hear further sentencing submissions.