‘Confused and alone’: Cairns woman abused as child tells inquiry of harrowing experience in legal system

Victims of crime in Far North Queensland have described a lack of information about their cases compounding their trauma at an inquiry held in Cairns. Read their stories.

Cairns woman Leesa Michaud bravely came forward to police and shared a horrific story of sexual abuse by her stepfather in Innisfail lasting from 1972 to 1982 – and found herself in a quagmire trying to access victim assistance.

The state government inquiry into support provided to victims of crime, instigated by State MP for Cooper, Jonty Bush, whose sister was murdered, sat in Cairns on Wednesday and Ms Michaud was among those to give evidence.

She said she was told because the offences took place before 2009, a guilty verdict was required – after 2009 it became sufficient to have reported the crime.

Ms Michaud said she was savagely cross-examined in a prerecorded interview before the court case of her abuser, who died in earlier this year just weeks before facing court on 10 sex abuse charges.

Leesa Michaud, pictured with her assistance cat Sundar-Billi, was sexually abused as a child by Ian Venning. Leesa started legal action against Ian Venning, but he died before the matter could go to trial. Photo: Brendan Radke

She said she was not warned defence counsel had access to all of the prosecution material, including her medical history and that of her two autistic children, and that a lawyer should have been appointed for her.

“They said I’m not entitled to apply to victims assistance for anything, not even mental health treatment – it shouldn’t matter what year it happened, are my rights less because of the year it happened? Is my trauma and less because of the years I was abused,” she said.

“You finally get the courage to seek justice only to be told ‘sorry, you’re on your own’.

She said while giving evidence at the pre-hearing, she felt “very confused and very alone” and a lawyer had since made disparaging remarks about her on social media.

“He is telling the world my story keeps changing and I am not to be believed, but I thought it was a closed court room and there were suppression orders,” she said.

Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service principal legal officer Thelma Schwartz made a comprehensive submission to the inquiry. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Michaud said she was seeing a psychiatrist but stopped because she feared it would be used against her.

She also slammed the court system for light sentences for domestic violence offences.

“How many times do you keep arresting somebody?”

One woman gave harrowing evidence where she alleged her nine-year-old son was among several children in the neighbourhood repeatedly violated by a child who was in residential care but subsequently returned to his family.

She said two detectives arrived at her unit and told her that her son had been the victim of repeated attacks over a year.

“My son made a statement, there was no support, no help, he was just a number and still is,” she said.

She said the police did not make her aware of support services available.

“The predator’s family is together, mine is torn apart, he has a home, I am homeless,” she said.

“I have not been told what the charges are, I can’t even get hold of the detective.

“I found up he was locked up and released after three months, and I found out because he sent an Instagram message to my niece.”

“My son’s rapist has more rights that my son does – child safety massively failed my child,” she said.

Victims of crime who attended complained the event had been poorly publicised and they were not aware they could attend and make submissions.

The inquiry panel almost outnumbered members of the public, with nine MPs and other bureaucrats in the small boardroom at the Pullman International.

Aaron McLeod of the Crime and Justice Action Group also gave evidence.

Originally published as ‘Confused and alone’: Cairns woman abused as child tells inquiry of harrowing experience in legal system