Dalby District Court: Babysitter jailed for raping, sexually abusing children in his care

A court has heard the Western Downs man was considered a ‘trusted figure’ by parents and families within his community when he committed the raft of child sex offences over a years-long period.

A Western Downs man has been jailed after being found guilty of raping and sexually abusing several young boys while the children were in his care, with the court hearing the man was considered a “trusted figure” within the community at the time.

Dalby District Court was told the 54-year-old, who cannot be named, digitally raped a boy aged between five and 10 while he was trying to sleep in the man’s bed and performed sex acts in front of the boy on unknown dates between 2014 and 2018.

It was on separate occasions within the same period that the man molested another two boys aged between four and seven, touching them inappropriately several times while in the presence of other children.

The man’s offending came to light when one of his victims revealed what had happened to his older brother, who then reported the offending to their mother.

The Dalby court heard the man was eventually charged with the child sex offences in 2018, and it was just two weeks later that he dragged a woman out of her car in Toowoomba and sped off in the vehicle.

He had discharged himself from a mental health ward earlier that day and later used the vehicle in a suicide attempt the same night.

Crown prosecutor Brendan White submitted to the court a victim impact statement from the boy who was raped by the babysitter, along with letters from the victims’ relatives and a psychiatrist attesting to the mental and emotional trauma the children had suffered since being sexually abused.

The statements revealed that the boy required ongoing medical treatment for physical conditions caused by the abuse.

The jury also heard evidence from police officers involved in the investigation, other children babysat by the man, and pre-recorded interviews with his victims during the five-day trial.

Defence barrister Jessica Goldie said her client was dealing with mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety at the time, but had since been declared ‘sane’ and fit for court proceedings in more recent examinations.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren denounced the Western Downs man’s offending as a “gross breach of trust” that would have a potentially lifelong effect on his victims.

“The children are withdrawn, they suffer behavioural problems, and two of them require psychiatric assistance,” he said.

“The schooling of these children have been affected, it has the potential of lifelong impact and emotional suffering.”

The man was found guilty of one count of rape and nine counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12, and pleaded guilty to a further count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and unlawful entry of a vehicle using violence.

He was acquitted of an additional seven counts of indecent treatment of a child.

The man was sentenced to five years’ jail and will be eligible for parole after serving half of the jail term.