Gympie man found guilty of attempted rape and unlawful relationship
A Gympie dad left a courthouse in handcuffs after being found guilty for attempting to rape his daughter, causing his family’s “suffering”.
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A Gympie dad will spend several years behind bars after being found guilty of attempting to rape his daughter and maintaining an unlawful relationship with her.
The 48-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Gympie District Court on Tuesday and told he was responsible for his family’s suffering.
He was found guilty of two counts each of attempted rape and maintaining an unlawful relationship with his daughter.
In the opening statements on May 8, 2023, the court heard how he maintained an unlawful relationship with his daughter, which started from when she was aged eight or nine.
He had asked her to keep it a “secret” when he started touching her private parts as he tucked her into bed, crown prosecutor Alex Stark said.
The unlawful relationship occurred for around three years when the family lived in Cairns, and then again for around a year while they lived in Gympie.
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The relationship was said to stop for a time when the daughter started to share a room with one of her family members.
But it resumed again when the family moved cities, Mr Stark told the jury in the opening statement.
Defence barrister Chris O’Meara told the jury to take into account the serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
He was found not guilty of two counts of attempted rape and one count of assault in which he was also charged with him.
“You are responsible for your entire family suffering for your selfish acts of sexual gratification,” Judge Katherine McGinness said.
He was sentenced to six years’ prison.
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