Kingaroy father rapes daughter and stepdaughter over 15 years

A southeast Queensland dad has been jailed for raping and sexually assaulting his two underage stepdaughters and biological daughter.

A Kingaroy father was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for raping and sexually assaulting his two stepdaughters and biological daughter, with the eldest being subjected to this abuse for more than a decade.

On February 24, 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to 16 charges before Kingaroy District Court, including four counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12, two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, two counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, six counts of rape, and two counts of sexual assault.

Reading the sentencing statements today (March 2, 2021), Judge Gary Long S.C. said the offending behaviour extended over a period of 15 years.

The defendant is currently in his 40s.

“You commenced a relationship with the mother of those children and you moved to live within a family situation,” Judge Long said.

Judge Long said the defendant commenced a sexual relationship with the older stepdaughter, when she was just five-years-old.

“It’s noted that your conduct began with having her masturbate you and you rubbing her vagina or genital area. When she was aged nine this progressed to digital penetration and then vaginal intercourse,” he said.

The Judge told the court the father then had the eldest stepdaughter take contraception from the age of 10.

“Your behaviour was characterised by verbal threats to hurt her or her mother if she told anyone. It is noted the nature of the offending increased in regularity and severity over time.”

The child was responsible for caring for the chickens and the defendant would accompany her to the coop under the guise there might be snakes, taking this opportunity to sexually abuse her.

“... It‘s noted she cried out because it hurt,” Judge Long said about the attacks.

“You then laid her down and proceeded to have vaginal intercourse with her, despite her crying and telling you to stop.”

After the family moved to Kingaroy, the defendant became more physically and verbally abusive toward the victim, covering her mouth if she tried to scream and pinning her down under his body weight.

The court heard these vicious attacks occurred once or twice a week.

When the victim was a young teen, the defendant would wait for her to return from work and force himself upon her nearly every night for about nine months.

The court heard the attacks increased in severity, the defendant began entering the victim‘s room at night and raped her while everyone else slept. This occurred about every two days until she turned 16.

The sexual attacks on his second step daughter when she was a child, progressing to penile vaginal intercourse after the family moved to Kingaroy.

“This began with you sitting on the bed and touching the child’s breasts and then her vagina,” Judge Long said.

“As she turned her back and he indicated she didn’t want you to touch her, you grabbed her arm, rolled her over and got on top of her.

“She tried to push you away. You ripped off her pants and pushed your penis inside her vagina.”

This offending continued until the mother of the child walked into her bedroom while this was occurring.

“The mother walked in and asked if you were having sex with her and you replied ‘yes’,” Judge Long said.

“It’s noted you yelled at them and told them you would kill them all if anyone was told. You asserted your stepdaughter wanted it and forced you to do it.”

“For several weeks after that, the child slept with her mother or on the living room floor.”

However, after a few weeks the child returned to her own room and the defendant returned to rape her almost every night.

One Christmas the father asked the victim to have sex with him as a present.

“She didn't fight you, she just let you do it by that stage,” Judge Long said.

“It’s noted that during the course of this, she was tearful, and you asked if she was okay.

“She said she was fine, but it indicated that she was simply scared and just wanted it over.”

In the early hours of Christmas Eve the following year, the defendant entered the room of his biological daughter while she was sleeping.

“You woke her up and asked for a hug. You pulled down her pants and proceeded to put your penis into her vagina,” Judge Long said.

“She kicked at you and told you to stop, but you kept going. You threatened to hurt the family if she didn‘t let you do it. You finished and left the room to have a shower.

The court heard, the victim's mother made a medical appointment and insisted the defendant accompany her so the girls could go to the police station.

“The persistence and extent of the offending in respect of the three members of your family, including ultimately your own daughter, is deserving of particular denunciation,” Judge Long said.

“The breach of trust involved in the offending is reflected in the profound and devastating impact evident in the victim impact statements of your stepdaughters, and as might be expected, your own daughter.”

For maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child, the defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

For each charge relating to the indecent treatment of a child under 12, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

For the indecent treatment of a child under 16, the defendant was sentenced to three years imprisonment for each count.

For each count of sexual assault, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

For the digital rape he was sentenced to serve five years behind bars. For the five remaining counts of rape, he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for each charge.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

It was declared the defendant had already served 425 days in presentence custody, from January 2020 to one March 2021.

Judge Long said he must serve at least 80 per cent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Originally published as Kingaroy father rapes daughter and stepdaughter over 15 years