Cairns woman faces historic child indecency charges

A Cairns man kept the secret of his stepmother’s betrayal for almost 30 years after he was turned away by police as a 12-year old boy, a court has heard.

A Cairns woman, 73, appeared in the Cairns District Court on Tuesday before Chief Judge Brian Devereaux SC and a jury, where she faced eight counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16.

Crown Prosecutor Stephanie Williams said the woman who cannot be identified, uttered the words, “it’s OK sweetie,” when she sexually assaulted her then 12-year-old stepson.

“It’s OK, sweetie,’ these are the words she would say,” Ms Williams said.

“These are the words he kept to himself for 29 years.”

Ms Williams told the court the stepson was 12 years old when he moved to Cairns to live with his father and stepmother in 1988.

The accused was represented by criminal barrister Rachelle Logan.

The accused sat quietly as Ms Williams told the court that the household where the child had moved into- involved, “lots of drinking and fighting.”

A Cairns woman faced historic child indecency charges in the Cairns District Court. Photo: Alison Paterson

“He (the stepson) was 12 and a half when his stepmother first uttered those words ‘it’s OK sweetie’ and he did not tell anyone until he was 14,” she said.

“He would go to sleep and wake up to find this stepmother next to him naked.

“He was frozen, he would turn his head away and sometimes he would cry.”

The court heard that the boy would try to hide from his stepmother including under his bed and in the garden

“He didn’t tell anyone what was happening,” she said.

“He went alone to the Edmonton Police Station where he told a police officer about what his stepmother was doing,” she said.

“But he was accused of lying and sent home, so he kept the details a secret.”

Ms Williams said in 1993 the stepson returned to live interstate with his mother.

She said he eventually told his mother and stepfather that his stepmother had “molested” him, it was not until 2017 that “he felt it was finally time to do something.”

In 2017 when in Cairns for his father’s funeral, the stepson told his uncle who is a police officer that his stepmother, ‘had molested him.”

The court was then closed to the public as the stepson was called to the stand.

The case is expected to resume on Wednesday.

Originally published as Cairns woman faces historic child indecency charges