Brett Leroy Richards, 62, sentenced to nine years’ prison for rape and sexual abuse against five girls

A predator children’s sports coach preyed on mothers who were single or did not have a supportive partner to access vulnerable children he went on to rape and sexually abuse. Read the judge’s attack on him. DISTURBING CONTENT

The sports coach abused five young girls. Generic image.

A predator children’s sports coach preyed on mothers who were single or did not have a supportive partner to access vulnerable children he went on to rape and sexually abuse.

Brett Leroy Richards, 62, was described by Judge Jeff Clarke as having “an inflated, if not grandiose, sense of narcissistic self-interest” when he gave evidence during a two-week trial in Rockhampton District Court in September where he was found guilty by a jury of six counts of rape and 10 of indecent treatment of children.

Richards was sentenced for his crimes on October 28 with Judge Clarke outlining how Richards managed to access and sexually abuse five pre-pubescent Central Queensland girls over a six-year period, and the tactics he used during the trial as he unsuccessfully tried to “hoodwink” the jury.

The offending involved three of the five children being raped by Richards with five rapes being digital penetration and the sixth involving his tongue.

Four of the indecent treatment offences involved his tongue on the girls’ genitals, five of him touching their genitals either under or over clothing, and one involved touching a victim’s breasts.

The court heard Richards told a mother it was safe for children to stay over at his house as he held a Blue Card and was a children’s sports coach.

Judge Clarke said Richards’ partner at the time of the offending gave evidence during the trial.

“Your evidence was marked by an inflated, if not grandiose, sense of narcissistic self-interest,” Judge Clarke said.

“You’re at pains to convince the jury of your limited physical ability to move, your important and time-consuming work and your good strength of character, particularly your caring and giving Christian nature.

“The latter was particularly offensive I thought.

“I thought that you were evasive and guarded in your evidence.

“Your evidence conflicted with your partner (and another witness) who were called in your case.

“You were engaged in a charade of pretending to be offended by the allegations when they were put to you as if you’d heard them for the first time.

“It was completely understandable that the jury rejected your account.

“The jury were particularly diligent, attentive, patient and understanding, in my view, and you failed to hoodwink them.

“You provided instructions to label these children and two of their mothers as people capable of making up the most outrageous lies.”

He said one of the victims denied an allegation she was inspired by the lyrics of a song to fabricate lies accusing Richards of the sexual abuse the jury found him guilty of committing, or that her mother had told her what to say.

Judge Clarke said Richards had shown no remorse, acceptance of wrongdoing nor appreciation for the “upheaval and considerable harm” that he had caused the families of the victims with his offending and “subsequent self-serving denials”.

He said Richards had ingratiated himself with the children’s mothers and “engaged in predatory conduct in that the mothers were all single, or in unsupportive relationships”.

He said each of the offences against these girls was “heinous” with not one standing out as the worst.

Judge Clarke sentenced Richards to nine years’ prison and declared 39 days pre-sentence custody.

He did not make any orders in relation to parole which means, because Richards took the matter to trial, that he will have to serve at least half of that nine-year sentence.