Man raped pregnant wife, cousins under 12

*WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT*: A man who sexually abused two young cousins when he was a teenager went on to rape his own wife.

A man who sexually abused two prepubescent cousins while babysitting when he was a teenaged went on to rape his pregnant wife who had been told by a doctor not to have sex.

The impact of his actions has left one victim with “crippling mental health issues”, another moved 500kms away to get away from reminders and the other says they were “completely robbed of my sense of self”.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court on November 9 after pleading guilty in August to two counts of rape and two counts of indecent treatment of a child.

The offending came to light when the 33-year-old man’s marriage broke down and his now former wife complained to police in 2018.

A male cousin then complained about the indecent treatment offending in 2020 and his older sister complained two months later about being raped by the defendant during periods when he babysat them as their parents worked.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said the rape of the female cousin was the first in time and started with the defendant entering her room and assaulting her.

The facts of the two indecent treatment of a child under offences involved the defendant getting the victim alone in a laundry and later a cubby house and assaulting him.

“Due to the actions of this person, I have spent half of my life wanting it to end,” the female cousin said.

“To me this seems a far better option than constantly dealing with the overwhelming flashbacks, anxiety, suicidal ideation and depression that comes with living with and trying to process what happened to me.

“I have in the past been committed to the psychiatric ward at Hillcrest Hospital at great expense to my family.

“The decisions you made all those years ago have impacted every aspect of our lives.”

She told the court she was unable to finish school or hold on to a job for more than 12 months, had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder called agoraphobia because of “the crippling mental health issues this person’s actions have caused me” and because she was “living in fear of running into this person in public places”.

Her brother, who was also assaulted, has relocated 500kms away from family to get away from the reminders of the traumatic abuse he suffered at the hands of a family member who should have been protecting him.

“(My brother) has chosen not to be here today because he fears how he would feel seeing (the defendant) will affect him,” the female cousin said.

She said he feels when he has children, he will not be able to protect his own children because it was someone their parents trusted that abused him.

Ms O’Rourke then told the court what the defendant did, when he was 26, to his own wife after they had been told by a doctor to avoid penetrative sex.

She said they were watching television together and there was some reciprocal sexual conduct but when the defendant rolled on top of the victim, she asked him what he was doing and told him no before he assaulted her.

She said the victim was visibly upset afterwards and when the defendant asked her what was wrong, she told him he had raped her.

Ms O’Rourke said the defendant apologised and told her he would “never do it again”.

He confessed the rape to an aunt in 2015.

The defendant’s former wife told the court for the first three years after giving birth, she could not look at her child without recalling the rape.

“It robbed me of connecting with my newborn daughter,” she said.

“I didn’t love her any less but I struggled to look at her.

“After I finally had the courage to leave, I struggled to face the reality of the situation. Everything was hard. The memories became too painful to bear, to live through on my own.

“Raising my children alone as a single mother was not the family life I had envisioned.

“Having to maintain contact with the defendant due to the custody arrangements for our children, was a constant reminder of what he had done.

“I turned to self-soothing measures.

“I drank regularly and tried to numb the pain. To try and escape the reality of the pain I was feeling.

“I has having regular nightmares and flashbacks.

“I would close my eyes and images would flood right back.

“I was exhausted. The lack of sleep was debilitating. I required medication to sleep and antidepressants.

“I became suicidal.”

She said she felt she had been “completely robbed of my sense of self”.

She said it was only her children which kept her alive through that pain; her “saving Grace”.

The victim said she would go through a “dark whirlwind of emotions” every time the defendant’s court matters were raised in discussions.

The court heard the defendant had also been accused by the mother of his first child, aged 11, of sexually abusing his own son.

Defence barrister Jordan Ahlstrand said his client was an only child who never knew his father and had an estranged relationship with his mother who he claimed showed him minimal love and affection while growing up, spending little time with him as she worked.

He said the defendant did form a close relationship with his grandmother, but still felt lonely and “not good enough”.

Mr Ahlstrand said his client struggled academically and left school in Year 11.

The court heard psychological testing revealed the defendant had below average cognitive abilities, an IQ of 82, moderate depressive disorder and an average risk, compared to other adult sex offenders, of reoffending.

Mr Ahlstrand said his client had inconsistent work history and started his own business three years ago.

He said the defendant had been in a relationship with another woman for the past four years.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said the circumstances of these offences were “really quite distressing”.

“You took out your sexual gratification on those children,” he commented.

Judge Chowdhury described the defendant’s actions as inexplicable and selfish.

He sentenced the defendant to 6.5 years prison, declared 88 days presentence custody as time served and set parole eligibility for August 12, 2023.