Child sex offender preyed on three children from one family

**WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT** Victim’s harrowing message to court: “I often wish I had died so I didn’t have to live with these flashbacks”.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A child sex offender who preyed on three siblings reoffended despite being convicted for sex offences against one of the children, and went on to be convicted of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child decades later.

Charles Robert Holt, 68, was serving a nine-year prison term for the maintaining offences when he pleaded guilty on June 23 to four counts of indecent treatment of a child and one of rape.

The Rockhampton District Court heard the five charges Holt pleaded guilty to this year were for offences he committed against two sisters of the boy he was convicted of offending against in the 1970s.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said Holt was subject to a probation order handed down in 1977 for unlawful carnal knowledge with the brother of the current victims, and continued to offend against the current victims while on that probation order.

She said it was alarming a conviction for offending against the brother did not deter Holt.

Holt was convicted and sentenced to nine years prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with another victim, aged six to 11, after a jury found him guilty in 2018.

Ms O’Rourke said one of the victims from the fresh charges was aged seven to 12 when Holt offended against them, and the other was 14 when he raped her.

She said Holt came up behind the first victim and rubbed his genitals against her.

Ms O’Rourke said on another occasion, he took the girl to a dirt road and tried to get her to touch his genitals outside the car while she was sitting on the ground, before successfully getting her to touch him while they were in the car.

She said the third incident against this girl involved Holt getting on top of the child with his genitals exposed.

Ms O’Rourke said Holt inserted his fingers into the girl’s genitals on the fourth occasion.

She said the rape of the girl’s sister took place on the same dirt road as the touching incident.

Ms O’Rourke said Holt had the victim get onto the bonnet of the car and raped her.

She said one of the victims wrote in their impact statement “I often wish I had died so I didn’t have to live with these flashbacks”.

Judge Jeff Clarke said the first victim suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, while her sister felt “dirty” and hated herself as a result of the offending.

“You used these children for your own sexual gratification,” he said.

“You have destroyed the lives of four innocent children and their families.”

Defence barrister Maree Willey said Holt was aged 24-29 at the time of the offences.

She said he had a dysfunctional childhood with his mother being the victim of significant domestic violence by his stepfather and the family moving regularly.

Ms Willey said Holt attended about 15 schools and he was a child sex abuse victim.

She said since his incarceration, he had completed a sex offender’s program and attended bible studies.

Judge Clarke sentenced Holt to 5.5 years prison with a new parole eligibility date of April 4, 2025.