QLD foster father jailed for raping pre-pubescent child for years

A stay-at-home foster father is facing years in prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with a young child in his care. The judge said the man took advantage of the child in the most wicked way. Warning: Distressing content

A Rockhampton foster child was raped by her carer almost daily.

A stay-at-home foster father has been jailed for maintaining a sexual relationship with a child in his care.

The former North Queenslander, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his victim, was found guilty by a jury of one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child and four counts of rape after a two-day trial and six hours of deliberation.

Rockhampton District Court heard the child, aged about nine to 12 at the time of the offending, described being raped in her Rockhampton region house “almost daily”.

Judge Jeff Clarke, during sentencing, remarked on the man’s lack of reaction to the verdict given he had shown no acceptance or acknowledgment of wrongdoing, nor signs of remorse.

“She was already a child who had experienced considerable disadvantaged, neglect, dislocation and disruption in her early life,” he said.

Judge Clarke said the man “took advantage of her in the most wicked and heinous way”.

The man’s offending started after he confronted the victim about a school issue and choked her, before going on to carry out sexual acts in front of her and forcing her to participate.

The defendant, who was in his 30s, went on to rape the child.

He would grab the child from the bed she shared with another child and take her to another part of the house to carry out his assault, and had even once pulled over on a dirt track during a road trip to rape her.

The offending came to light after the children were removed from the defendant’s care.

Judge Clarke said as the child prepared to relocate, the defendant struck her in the head with a metal pole and made “the most serious and chilling threats” including to kill her, showing her a noose and telling her he would hang her.

Judge Clarke sentenced the defendant to 13 years prison, of which he has to serve at least 80 per cent before being eligible for parole.

He declared 445 days of presentence custody as time already served on his sentence.