Mackay men on child abuse charges | full details

Girls as young as five were allegedly exposed to a highly-sexualised environment in a house just off the Bruce Highway, one where sex was openly discussed and displayed, and just two rules existed. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Four girls were allegedly the victims of child abuse in Mackay.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

Inside a house off the Bruce Highway, horrific allegations of abuse against children unfolded in a highly sexualised environment involving four men.

Girls as young as five were allegedly exposed to that environment, one where sex was openly discussed and displayed, and just two rules existed.

The girls were not to get pregnant.

They must ask if they wanted alcohol.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard this was the scene in which four men aged 19, 21, 22 and 49 allegedly engaged in sexual practices against young girls.

The men, who are all known to each other, are facing serious charges, some of which carry life in jail if found guilty.

All made unsuccessful bail applications during separate appearances on Tuesday.

The court heard the 49 year old allegedly permitted the home to be used for the sexual relationships of the three younger men, including one who allegedly told police he was a pimp and a player, and knew his “girlfriend” was 13 when they began their two-year relationship.

A Mackay man is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl when he was aged 47.

Prosecutor Sheena Gravino, in objecting to the 49 year old’s bail bid, said the man allegedly exposed the female children to “predatory behaviour”.

He allegedly raped a then-13 year old girl in 2019 when he was aged 47.

Ms Gravino said the man later apologised to the girl.

In another incident, when the girl spoke to him about her sexual relationship with one of the other men, Ms Gravino said the man told her she was “dirty”, “not innocent”, and smelt her underwear.

Ms Gravino said in 2021, he told the now-14 year old she had been vulnerable and he regretted “not taking his chance with her”.

He would watch pornography on a large TV in the downstairs lounge room, exposing a girl – just five at the time – to that sexual environment since 2014.

Ms Gravino said there had been a “significant number of devices” seized from the home but only a mobile phone belonged to the 49 year old.

She said he observed the other men engaging in sexual acts with three child victims, and allegedly digitally raped one of them in a surprise incident as she kissed the 21 year old on the couch.

The 21 year old laughed at the girl when she reacted in surprise and shock, the court heard, an element Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said suggested a level of degradation in the alleged offending.

Ms Gravino said the 21 year old exposed young girls, aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the alleged offending, to practices “outside the scope of sexual exposure that might be seen on TV, in music videos”.

“I do not make these submissions to shame any person in relation to sexual preferences when it comes to engaging in BDSM practices,” Ms Gravino said.

“But I will say that there is having a sexual relationship with a child who at that time was between the ages of 13 and 15, and if I can phrase it to say it wasn’t vanilla sex.

“It was sex that involved role play with elements of BDSM where there is a witness who provides a version to police that she saw the victim child engaged in that role-play with elements of BDSM, walking the defendant around attached to a chain and collar.

“So not only is it exposing that victim child allegedly to that sexual practice that I would say is vanilla sex practice, there is an element of adding further exposure that would be outside the scope of sexual exposure that might be seen on TV in music videos.

“It’s taking it further, in my submission, what I can phrase as vanilla sexual interaction and is taking it to a more specialised sphere of sexual role-playing which is an added exposure in my submission.”

Ms Hartigan said there was an “element of sexual corruption” through the 21 year old buying sex toys.

“It is alleged the defendant purchased multiple sex toys including three tiny bullet vibrators, a pink vibrator, a butt plug and animal tail attached to it, nip clips and a feather,” she said.

Ms Hartigan said there was also an “aspect of degradation with respect to the victim child” in relation to the alleged digital rape and subsequent laughing.

The 21 year old is charged with rape, possessing child exploitation material, involving a child in making child exploitation material and indecent treatment, and two counts each of carnal knowledge with or of children under 16 and grooming.

Legal Aid solicitor Erin Beer said her client denied the charges.

A Sunshine Coast girl was allegedly targeted through a random SnapChat connection.

The 22 year old is accused of grooming a 12-year-old Sunshine Coast girl over SnapChat, initially sending her photos and videos before it turned depraved.

Ms Gravino said the man gave the girl instructions about what to do to herself before allegedly involving her pet dog in the offending.

He encouraged her via message, telling her, “you’re such a good girl for me”.

She said the 22-year-old man “made the girl commit those sex acts involving her dog”, threatening her that if she didn’t, he would “go to the Sunshine Coast with his mates and would rape her”.

Police found naked images of the girl on the 22 year old’s devices.

Ms Gravino said the girl believed the threat.

She said the 22 year old described himself as a “player” and a “pimp” when asked about the relationship with the girl, which began when she was aged 13 and he was 20.

Ms Gravino said the man admitted he knew she was 13, and noted in the objection to bail the girl alleged she was “extremely intoxicated” on many of the occasions they had sex.

She said the 22 year old had also allegedly told another person to tell the girl, now 15, to shut up or he would spit on her, told the person to choke her and “tell her it was from him”, and that he would impregnate her if she spoke out.

He is also alleged to have filmed a girl in various stages of undress, engaged in sex every day, and also group sex.

Ms Gravino said the man had allegedly exposed himself to one of the children over years, indicating a “long-term sexual interest” in the girl.

He admitted to police he had been in a relationship with a girl who was aged just 13 at the start.

“The defendant appeared to have no remorse,” she said.

Girls as young as five were allegedly exposed to an environment where sex was openly discussed and displayed, and just two rules existed.

The 22 year old is charged with 14 offences including five counts of observations or recording in breach of privacy, two counts each of possessing child exploitation material, involving child in making child exploitation material, and indecent treatment of a child under 16.

He is also charged with carnal knowledge with or of children under 16, grooming, indecent treatment of a child (indecent film), and using the internet to procure children under 16.

Ms Hartigan said the 22-year-old man showed a predilection for young girls and was an unacceptable risk of reoffending.

In objecting to bail, Ms Gravino said there was an “element of violence” to the 19 year old’s alleged offending.

She said the man allegedly used handcuffs to restrain the girl’s wrists and, on occasion, her ankles, sometimes when she was asleep.

Ms Gravino said the alleged offending also included pulling the girl’s hair and arm, dragging her, laughing at her crying and using other degrading behaviour.

“The nature of that offending, in my submission, is very concerning,” she said.

Ms Gravino said a mattress with a brown stain police believed to be blood would undergo forensic testing and form part of the DNA evidence in relation to the rape charge in 2019.

Legal Aid solicitor Erin Beer said the charge dated back to 2019 and submitted any DNA evidence would be called into question in relation to that charge.

She said her client, a labourer, would comply with reporting conditions and agree to have no contact with the complainants, was not at risk of re-offending or not re-appearing, and that he had no criminal history.

Ms Hartigan said the nature of the offending was serious as she considered the 19 year old’s social network and support, and the proposed conditions should he receive bail on the charges.

“The offences before the court are very serious, particularly the rape, punishable by up to life imprisonment,” she said.

“He was a child at least for some of the commission of these offences between 15 and 17 years of age.”

The 19 year old is charged with rape, observations or recordings in breach of privacy, three counts of indecent treatment of children under 16, and two counts deprivation of liberty.

Ms Beer said the teen denied the allegations.

Ms Beer, acting for all four men, made separate bail applications, submitting they would comply with reporting conditions and agree to have no contact with the alleged victims.

Ms Hartigan, in considering the separate applications, said while she accepted each had no criminal history, each bid should be denied.

She said she had to consider the “relationship matrix between all parties involved” and found they posed an unacceptable risk of interfering with witnesses and obstructing the course of justice.

All men were remanded in custody until their next mention in May.