TikTok star Rachel Queen Burton pleads guilty to child abuse offences, court told victims’ family was stalked into homelessness

A TikTok star abused two children and stalked their family into homelessness before donning “a mask” by transitioning to life as a woman, a court has heard.

Rachel Queen Burton has pleaded guilty to child abuse offences. Picture: Tiktok

A TikTok star who earned thousands of followers claiming to be a “proud trans woman” is really a “gross, phony, self-indulgent” pedophile “wearing a mask”, the victims have told a court.

The District Court has heard Rachel Queen Burton repeatedly abused two children, and then stalked them and their family into homelessness, before transitioning to life as a woman.

In their victim impact statements, the children and their mother condemned Burton – who appeared by video link from a male prison, and wept throughout the hearing.

“You are a gross, phony, self-indulgent thing who has cheated my children out of so much, and took it away from them without care,” the victims’ mother said.

“In your online rants, you showed no remorse for your bad behaviour, all while knowing what you had done … getting an audience for your false life was far more important.

“You can wear any mask you like, but the truth is out and everybody knows who you really are, finally.”

Burton transitioned to life as a woman after the offending. Picture: Tiktok

Burton, 44, of Coolalinga in the Northern Territory, was arrested in October 2022 by the elite Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team and charged with child abuse and exploitation offences.

After initially denying the allegations, Burton pleaded guilty to aggravated counts of producing and possessing child exploitation material, gross indecency and indecent assault.

The offences occurred at various regional SA locations in 2019, prior to Burton’s star rising on the social media app with an account boasting 36,100 followers.

On Tuesday, Judge Rauf Soulio heard impact statements drafted by the two child victims, their elder sibling and their mother.

The mother said that, after she discovered Burton’s abuse, she and the children fled but were followed.

She recalled staying in a police-issued safe house until Burton “showed up at the window, peering in”, causing them to flee again.

“No food, scared children, too scared to go anywhere, never knowing if you could find us … when the children did sleep, nightmares haunted them,” she said.

“Being homeless was extremely gruelling, the worrying was relentless, but you were online having the time of your life.

“The guilt I feel (is indescribable) … how did I miss you stealing their joy? But we were all betrayed, tricked and lied to.

“You are the monster, you make me feel sick to my stomach.”

Burton was enjoying life on social media while they were homeless, the victims told the court. Picture: Tiktok

The youngest victim sat at the bar table next to the prosecutor as she read her statement to the court.

“I was happy before you broke the rules, I didn’t know what was going on at the time, I feel angry at you for doing the wrong thing to me,” she said.

“I felt like a bird trapped in a cage, all I wanted was to be free … I still worry that you will find me.”

The second victim said his life became “terrible” as a result of Burton’s abuse, leaving him unable to sleep due to chronic nightmares.

“I’m always worried you are going to turn up somewhere, and this makes me feel terrified,” he said.

The victims’ elder sibling told the court he was not sexually abused but suffered as a result of the trauma surrounding Burton’s “repulsive, filthy and vile” crimes.

He said his Christian faith helped him forgive Burton, but that “does not nullify or reduce just how sick and evil your actions and choices were”.

Judge Soulio thanked the family for their statements, noting how important they were to the sentencing process and how hard it would have been to give them publicly.

He remanded Burton in custody for further sentencing submissions in April.