Ipswich man and ex-partner sentenced for sick sex abuse of boy

A disgraced Ipswich father who abused a teenage boy while his partner watched the “abhorrent’’ act has been sentenced.

Ipswich Police Station and Courthouse. Photo: David Nielsen / The Queensland Times

A disgraced father who committed an “abhorrent” sexual act on a teenage boy while his partner watched has been sentenced.

The 59-year-old labourer faced Ipswich District court on April 27 to be sentenced for a string of offences.

He was found guilty at trial earlier in April of one count of sexual assault and one count of indecent treatment of a child.

He pleaded guilty on April 27 to a further count of indecent treatment of a child.

The court heard the man’s former long-time partner was named as his co-accused for that offence and also faced the court for the role she played.

On Thursday (May 4) he faced the court again and pleaded guilty to a further, unrelated count of indecent treatment involving a female child.

The court heard that on an unknown date between April, 2018 and February, 2019 the boy, then aged 15, woke up in a bed to find his pants had been removed.

The court also heard, at the April 27 proceedings, that the man was masturbating the boy’s penis while the woman watched the assault.

It was alleged a tourniquet had been applied to the boy’s arm and the woman passed the man a syringe to inject the boy.

However, in his sentencing remarks, Judge Hornemann-Wren said “I am not sentencing you for any attempt to inject drugs or supply drugs to that boy, but only of the offence of which you were convicted.”

The court further heard that the boy, after realising what was occurring, punched the man and fled the home.

In a victim impact statement tendered to the court and read by the prosecution, the boy described the catastrophic impact the assault had on him.

“Before my innocence and soul were taken, I was a go-getter. I lived life and was happy,” the statement read.

“After, I’ve become so dependant on drugs after I was given them to me. I needed to cope with life and the nightmares I have frequently.”

In a separate impact statement, his mother described the devastating change in her son since the assault.

“I’ve seen (him) go from outgoing, loving life, to suffering with nightmares and wanting to kill himself, with some attempts,” she said.

“I’ve personally taken (him) to therapy and specialists, however no matter how hard he tries, the nightmare still lives inside him.”

The court heard that on the charge of sexual assault against the woman, the man had touched her general vaginal area from the outside of her pants.

This had a significant impact on the woman’s anxiety and her ability to form relationships with men.

In the case of the young girl, the court heard the man asked the girl if he could shave her pubic area.

Despite being “bewildered” by the request, the girl undressed and entered the shower and allowed him to do so.

He also told the girl she could not tell anyone about the incident.

The court was told the man made admissions to police about the shaving after initially claiming the girl asked him to do it.

Judge Alexander Hornemann-Wren said the man should be “given real recognition” for his guilty plea and admissions to police regarding the offending. He reduced the penalty he imposed on him on that basis.

The court was told the offending was out of character for the man, who had previously had very little criminal history until 2018.

In that year, he was made redundant in a job he had held for 20 years and shortly after, in 2019, his mother died.

His barrister said those setbacks sparked his client’s foray into dangerous drug use, some unrelated domestic violence incidents and eventually the sexual offending.

The court was told the man wanted to move on with his life and “put this chapter behind him.”

He was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for the indecent treatment of the teenage boy, 12 months for the indecent treatment of the girl and six months for the sexual assault of the woman.

Judge Hornemann-Wren ordered the sentences be served concurrently.

After declaring 153 days of presentence custody as time served, he set the man’s parole eligibility at June 26.

The woman has previously faced trial on a count of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and was sentenced to six months’ jail, suspended after three months.