SA mother pleads guilty to sexually abusing her twin children, now faces maximum life sentence

After months of denials and secret hearings, a woman has finally confessed to horrendous crimes against her children.

A mother has admitted she repeatedly sexually abused her own twin children, alongside her then-partner, after a month of closed-door hearings and just four days before she was due to stand trial.

In the District Court on Friday, the woman – who cannot be identified – hugged herself, physically shook and rocked backwards and forwards as her case was heard.

Scheduled to stand trial on Monday for two aggravated counts of indecent assault, she instead pleaded guilty.

The Advertiser can now reveal the woman attempted, during a series of closed-court hearings this month, to have those charges thrown out.

She unsuccessfully argued evidence gathered by the elite Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team was inadmissable as proof she has personally abused her own children.

The woman now stands to be sentenced for those offences, as well as 25 counts of producing and eight counts of disseminating child exploitation material.

She will also be sentenced for two more counts of indecent assault and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse – meaning she faces a maximum life sentence.

In December the woman, 44, pleaded guilty to 37 offences including possessing and producing child exploitation material, and facilitating abuse.

She admitted committing those crimes alongside her former partner, 26, who pleaded guilty to almost 40 charges.

That man is not the children’s father, who is not and never has been accused nor suspected of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors alleged the woman and her former partner went “spotting” in shopping malls for victims even as they were committing crimes against her twins.

They further alleged the mother and her ex-partner had each repeatedly abused her children, both together and on their own.

The woman denied that allegation, pleading not guilty to multiple aggravated counts of indecent assault.

She further denied she had tried to psychologically manipulate the children from her jail cell, following her arrest, by “love-bombing” them in letters.

On Friday, prosecutors asked the woman’s case be adjourned and heard on the same date as that of her former partner, so that they could be sentenced together.

Defence counsel said they did not object, but asked for time to obtain psychological reports about their client.

Judge Carmen Matteo agreed to both requests and remanded the woman in custody to face court alongside her former partner next month.