SA man who sexually abused nine children in his family over 30 years jailed for monstrous crimes

He was a well-known man in a small country SA town - now this 82-year-old predator will die in jail for abusing nine children from his wider family over 30 years.

An 82-year-old man from a “close-knit” regional town in South Australia’s South-East is likely to die in prison after receiving a 25-year sentence for the sexual abuse of nine children over the course of 30 years.

The man faced the District Court in Mount Gambier on Friday, after previously pleading guilty to nine counts of persistent sexual exploitation of child.

The court heard the man – who was involved in recreational fishing, local football and community – started sexually abusing his victims in the late 1980s and continued to do so up until 2013.

The girls and boy all had some form of family relation to the man.

“Your acts of sexual abuse came to light when one of the victims of your offending reported it to the police in 2022, eight other family members then came forward,” Judge Rauf Soulio said to the man during sentencing.

The court heard the man’s second victim, a female relative he abused from when she was eight until she turned 15, was told by the man “no one would believe her because she was a child”.

“You told her you would hurt her,” the judge said. “You told her that she would be taken away.”

The man’s fourth victim recalled in their victim impact statement they were scared to come forward about the abuse because the man was a “prominent figure” in their “close-knit community” and feared no one would believe them.

This victim said they frequently experience “night terrors, panic attacks and carries other emotional scars” due to the abuse they endured at his hands.

Another victim said they struggle emotionally every day dealing with the long-lasting effects of the abuse.

They said they regularly wonder what their life would be like if the man didn’t do what he did and they “regret not coming forward sooner” – left haunted so many other children suffered the same fate as them.

One of the man’s victims said they regret not coming forward sooner – left haunted by the fact that so many other people suffered the same fate as them.

“The guilt your victims carry is yours, not theirs,” Judge Soulio said.

“The theme that runs through the impact statements is the long-lasting effects of this abuse.

“During your interviews with police you seeked to blame the children and highlighted their willingness to participate.

“Your account (of the abuse) showed arrogance, you regularly threw insults towards the children you abused.”

The court heard the man had no prior criminal history, had a positive upbringing and “stable existence” throughout his life – but he had told his psychologist he was sexually assaulted by a stranger at the age of 10.

“You cannot be considered a person of good character,” the judge said to the man.

“There are none more vulnerable in the world than children.

“Such offending causes serious harm and the courts must do what they can to protect children and deter other offenders.”

The man did not react as he was sentenced to 25 years in jail with a non-parole period of 20 years.

“You’ve taken advantage of your victims’ youth and naivety; you exploited them and at times threatened them,” the judge said.

“They will carry the burden of your offending with them for the rest of their lives.”