Teen victim of underage sex with co-worker reveals trauma impacts

“Everyone thinks that I’m getting better but in reality I’ve just gotten better at pretending”: A teenage girl has revealed the trauma a relationship with an older man has had on her, as he was sentenced in court for his crimes.

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A teenage girl who was preyed upon by an adult colleague has delivered a shattering victim impact statement, revealing “everyone thinks that I’m getting better but in reality I’ve just gotten better at pretending”.

Part of the young girl’s statement was heard in court last week as her abuser was sentenced for having a 15-month long sexual relationship with her, starting when she was just 14.

The now 25-year-old man, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his victim, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court to 4.5 years prison for the 15-month long sexual relationship with the girl.

The man pleaded guilty to one count each of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, using electronic communications to procure a child, possessing child exploitation material, possessing drugs and two of breaching a domestic violence order.

The girl ran away from her family home during the relationship, living with the defendant and his mother “off and on”, the court heard.

The man also took 31 photographs and videos of the pair having sex or carrying out sexual acts, which police found on his phone when they seized it following a complaint of domestic violence.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence told the court the victim stated all areas of her life had been “impacted significantly” by this and it was ongoing.

She said it had impacted the child’s sleep, school life, social life and relationships.

The court heard the girl wrote “everyone thinks that I’m getting better but in reality I’ve just gotten better at pretending”.

“If I’m honest, it keeps getting worse every day,” the girl wrote.

Ms Lawrence said while the teen had been diagnosed previously with anxiety and depression, over the past year she had noticed it had gotten “significantly worse”.

The court heard the victim had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder from the illegal relationship and receives psychiatric treatment.

“Things she used to enjoy such as songs or stories she no longer can because of the impact upon her and they are in effect triggering for her,” Ms Lawrence said.

“She is constantly thinking about what her family went through during the ordeal and it makes her feel even worse.”

The court heard the girl states she can’t be left in silence and that school is especially exhausting for her and when she gets home from school, “more often than not”, she is distressed.

Ms Lawrence said the victim says at times she “effectively feels nothing at all”.

The victim’s mother, who also wrote a victim impact statement for the court, stated her daughter had experienced many sleepless nights and there had been “ a significant degree of stress and worry during the course of this ordeal”.

Ms Lawrence told the court the mother outlined how she had received “phone calls with concerns from teachers and loved ones that tore her apart” and “she felt like she couldn’t do anything”.

She said the mother and father felt they were “unheard” by authorities and would lay awake at night wondering if their daughter was okay, if she knew she was loved and if she would come back to the family home.

“She describes feeling helpless and still feels that today,” Ms Lawrence said.

“Every time she tried to help her daughter, she felt like she was pushing her further away and she felt like she had lost her forever.”

She told the court the mother was worried the outcome of the defendant’s matters could cause her daughter to go backwards in her recovery.

“Since her daughter’s return home she’s noticed changes including mood swings from anger to withdrawal,” Ms Lawrence said.

“And she’s got to be particularly mindful with songs or movies she’s playing so she doesn’t trigger a bad memory for her.

“She ends it by saying ‘I feel our family will be forever healing from the damage this caused’.”