A Queensland media presenter charged with rape and indecent treatment of a 13-year-old has been granted Supreme Court bail
A media presenter charged with raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the 1980s made a second bid for freedom after being denied bail in Maroochydore.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Queensland media presenter charged with raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl has been released on bail after taking his bid for freedom to the Supreme Court.
The 62-year-old Sunshine Coast man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in June and charged with nine counts of rape and seven counts of indecent treatment of a girl under 16 years of age.
Police will allege he raped and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions between June and September 1988, when he was aged 29.
The man was granted Supreme Court bail on July 16 after an initial bail application was refused in Maroochydore Magistrates Court in June.
Justice Frances Williams granted the man bail to a home on the Sunshine Coast, to report to police three times a week.
During a previous court appearance, police prosecutor Brendan Newman alleged the man “used his position in power and social stature to manipulate” the girl, who claimed she lost her virginity at public school on their first meeting.
“As the (alleged) offending continued, the victim’s innocence was ripped away from her progressively as more sexual acts were done with this defendant telling her she should be grateful as he was teaching her how to be a good lover and his position in the community would be of benefit to her,“ Sergeant Newman said.
“The offending only stopped when the victim was grounded by her parents for coming home late after a sexual encounter with the defendant.”
The Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard the man had a long career in the Queensland media industry.
He was also involved with starting a charity.
The man is next due to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on November 19.
Is this one of the Sunshine Coast’s worst drink-drivers?
A Sunshine Coast man nabbed drink-driving in an IGA car park has had his “deplorable” traffic history laid bare with five high-range offences in five years.
Your ultimate guide to every gun club in Queensland
A new public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters as young as 11 has opened as firearm sports experience a surge in popularity. See our exclusive list of all gun clubs in Queensland.