Stanthorpe man sentenced after guilty verdict in sexual relationship with child trial

Disturbing details of a Stanthorpe man’s sexual offending towards a pre-pubescent child can be revealed after he was jailed for his ‘reprehensible’ crimes following a guilty verdict at trial. FULL DETAILS.

A Stanthorpe man has been jailed after his “unnatural” and “reprehensible” sexual relationship with a child was exposed during his trial.

The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was found guilty of one count of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under 16 by a jury on Wednesday morning in Warwick District Court.

The jury took just over an hour to reach its verdict, with many members of the jury returning to the courtroom to watch the sentence of the man, who is now aged in his 50s.

The man’s disturbing sexual interest in the pre-pubescent victim began against the victim when he twisted the pair’s night time routine into a perverse excuse to engage in sexual offending with the child, the court was told.

While tucking the child into bed, the man would “repeatedly” slip his hands under the blanket to touch the child’s genitalia.

The court was told the offending would progress years later, with the man using the excuse of hugging the child to touch and squeeze her breasts.

Disturbingly, the offending would progress to when the man was out of the home, to a case where the man was alone with the child in a ute.

Warwick police station and courthouse.

The court was told the man reached into the back seat, pulled out a black bag filled with sex toys, and detailed what they were and their use. The sex toys were later located at the man’s address during a police search.

On another occasion, the man gave the child a bottle of lubricant and told the child “this is when you want to pleasure yourself”.

The man creepily confessed to the child, he had dreams of her naked and was “waiting until she was 18 so they could have sex”.

Crown prosecutor Sam Rigby said the man had no remorse for the child victim throughout the trial, making her go through cross-examination and evidence giving, reliving the trauma of his offending.

“He was acting as a father figure, and there was a significant breach of trust to her, in a place where she should have felt safest. She was only a pre-pubescent child when the offending occurred,” Mr Rigby said.

“A sense of grooming allowed the offences to occur, however, no violence or penetration during the offending is in the man’s favour.”

Warwick courthouse. Photo: Warwick Daily News

“He has children from a previous marriage, and no criminal history – this offending is out of character,” the man’s defence lawyer, Jess Goldie, said at sentencing.

Judge John Allen KC agreed partially with this statement, saying “it may be out of character, but this was a serious sexual offence against a young child”.

“You took the opportunity to touch the child for your own sexual gratification, you were regarded as a father figure despite no blood relation,” Judge Allen said.

Judge Allen listed the lengthy period of offending, youth of the victim, the gross breach of trust and parental relationship as aggravating features of the offending.

“Your sexual comments, and the sex toys incident provide context for this sentencing, you exposed the victim to your reprehensible sexual interest in her,” he said.

“Your grooming behaviour exacerbated your offending, you exposed (the victim) to your unnatural lust towards her.”

The man was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with eligibility for parole after half the sentence was served.

The man could be released on parole as early as May 22, 2025.