Kingaroy man pleads guilty to indecent treatment of girls under 12

For two decades a “repetitive” predator lived in a country community abusing and exposing himself to multiple children as young as five. Now, he’s faced court. *Distressing content

A man pleaded guilty to multiple counts of indecent treatment of a child.

Horrific details of the sexual assault of children have been heard in Kingaroy District Court where a man pleaded guilty this week to sexually assaulting multiple young girls over many years.

The man, now aged in his 60s, pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12 years old and under 16.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted indecent treatment of a child under 16 and under 12.

The man, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, was in his late 30s at the time of the initial offending when his first victim was only 11 years.

The abuse happened over a period of three years in the early 2000s.

He admitted to repeatedly asking the victim to have sex with him and directing her to take off her pants so he “could do what he wanted to do with her,” the court was told.

When the victim declined he would eventually stop trying, however admitted to taking the girl’s hand and pulling it onto his crotch.

He would offend again around eight years later when he exposed himself to two girls who were related to him.

This started when one was only five or six.

His two other victims were aged between five and eight years old with the offending occurring between 2018 and 2020.

The court heard he would expose himself to the children and masturbate in front of them when he was in the house or outside in the garden.

The prosecutor told the court the man’s behaviour was “repetitive and opportunistic.”

When initially questioned by police, the man denied any wrongdoing however later admitted to the allegations.

When asked why he did it, he replied it was “for the thrill of getting caught.”

“These offences have had a profound impact on his victims,” the prosecutor said.

The court was told during the years after his first offending, the man sought help from a psychiatrist.

He was sentenced to two years in prison but the sentenced is to be suspended after he has served six months.