Ballina sex offender Christopher Anthony Macreadie, who sexually assaulted girl, fails in sentencing appeal
A former North Coast mechanic who invaded a home and preyed on a sleeping 14-year-old girl, sexually assaulting her, has appealed his sentence. Here’s what happened.
Police & Courts
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A former North Coast mechanic has failed in his sentencing appeal after he broke into a home and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, leaving her deeply traumatised.
The same man – Ballina’s Christopher Anthony Macreadie – was later caught snooping on a woman using the shower cubicles at a Lennox Head caravan park.
In 2021, Macreadie pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault with a person under 16 and aggravated break and enter with intent to commit a serious indictable offence.
The 38-year-old man broke into a home while the girl and her mother were asleep in the lounge room on June 29 2018.
Macreadie wandered the house and stole the victim’s underwear, bikini and photos of her with friends at the beach before undressing the sleeping teen.
She woke up and was too terrified to move, but sat up when Macreadie started assaulting her, penetrating her with his fingers.
He ordered her to be quiet and left with the stolen items, smiling at his victim.
Police arrived soon after but it took two years to match a DNA sample to Macreadie.
He was finally arrested in 2020 and ultimately sentenced to eight years and six months in jail with a non-parole period of five years and ten months by Judge Jeffrey McLennan.
He was eligible for parole on October 26, 2026.
Lismore District Court heard Macreadie had a difficult childhood and his father allegedly suffered from schizophrenia, substance abuse and was violent.
The court was told Macreadie, a mechanic before losing his job, was himself the victim of sexual abuse growing up and he had no convictions for previous offences at the time of the attack.
His peeping Tom-style offending occurred after the teen was targeted.
Macreadie appealed his sentence on two grounds, a Court of Criminal Appeal Supreme Court published judgment states.
Firstly, it was argued the finding that Macreadie’s true purpose when he entered the home was to assault the sleeping child was not open to the sentencing judge.
It was also argued there was an error made in a written order relating to the start date of Macreadie’s sentence.
However, Judge Robert Beech-Jones and Judge Sarah McNaughton determined Macreadie entered the house with intent, spotting a light on and the victim through the door.
“The true purpose behind the entry into the (victim’s) premises was to commit the sexual assault on the sleeping child that he observed through the door,” Mr Beech-Jones stated in the judgment.
Ms McNaughton said: “Prior to assaulting the victim, the applicant had been into other rooms in the house where he had collected intimate items belonging to (the victim) including bikini bottoms, underpants, and photographs which he placed in a bag, and which he ultimately took with him.”
It was also found there was not an error in sentence itself, but in the recording of the sentence and there was no jurisdiction to correct the error.
Macreadie will continue to serve time in jail.
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