Girl X rape scandal: Inquest hears of how predators used vulnerable teen

GIRL X was “used and abused by predatory adults” who “preyed” on her and involved her in “criminal activities, the inquest into her death has heard.

• GIRL X TO AUTHORITIES: ‘F*** THE SYSTEM’
• ALLEGED ABUSER DENIES RELATIONSHIP
• TEEN VICTIM WS PUSHED TO THE VERY EDGE

THE vulnerable teen dubbed Girl X was “used and abused by predatory adults” who “preyed” on her and involved her in “criminal activities, drug use and probably prostitution” while she was in state care, the coronial inquest into her death has heard.

Girl X with the words ‘I hate feelings’ cut into her leg.

The opening day of the inquest before Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee heard that Girl X was just 15 when she died at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead on April 14, 2014, after overdosing on a “speedball” of heroin and methamphetamine. She also had cannabis in her system.

The Daily Telegraph revealed the “repeated” 2012 rape of Girl X, then a 14-year-old, while at a residential foster care facility, last week. The Telegraph also revealed that the Director of Public Prosecution dropped the charges against her alleged attacker, now 30, after the teen’s tragic death and that her rape may never have been discovered had she not attempted suicide following the attack.

Following the investigation, Minster for Family and Community Services Brad Hazzard yesterday called for the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse to investigate the home where Girl X was repeatedly raped, after allegations emerged that other children had been sexually assaulted at the facility.

The DPP has also been asked to review the case. At the inquest, counsel assisting Donna Ward told the court that Girl X had a “sad history” and was “the product of her childhood experience”.

The girl and her twin brothers, who are just 10 months younger than her, were first removed from the care of their parents when Girl X was about 12 months old.

Several attempts to return the children to their parents failed and the trio was made wards of the state in 2005, thrusting them in and out of residential placements and group homes.

The court heard Girl X operated in “survivor mode” and was an intravenous drug user prior to her death, despite stints with rehab facilities to get clean.

She had “minimal” school attendance but had been looking to enrol in a specialist “behavioural” school prior to her death.

“Predatory adults used and abused (Girl X) for their own ends, involving (Girl X) in criminal activity, drug use and probably prostitution,” Ms Ward said.

Autopsy evidence revealed a superficial incision on her left wrist, while the word “hate” was cut into her right thigh, the scarred remnants of the phrase “I hate feelings” which the teen had carved into her leg in April, 2014.

The court heard that the impending rape trial — which was set to start just two weeks before her death — “was quite high pressure for her” and that the stress attached to her appearance as a witness for the DPP had contributed to a “downward spiral” in the month prior to her death.

Security footage played to the court from the night Girl X died at a different care refuge to the one where she was allegedly abused, showed a flurry of people who did not live at the facility entering the premises through Girl X’s window. One of these people was the girl’s boyfriend.

The boyfriend told police that she had 1.5 points of heroin on her when he arrived at the facility about 9pm, but that he consumed the drugs and passed out.

Girl X scrawls F*** the system on the walls of the foster home bathroom.

He woke the following morning and “thought something was not right” but after consulting another resident, the pair agreed that Girl X was “in one of her deep sleeps” and he went back to sleep.

He woke later in the day and heard Girl X “make funny breathing noise” and went for help.

The same resident he had earlier reached out to and a youth worker from the facility attempted CPR and Girl X was taken to Hornsby hospital.

She was later transferred to the intensive care unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead but died about 4am. Ms Ward told the court some “hard truths” would emerge during the week-long inquest and that (Girl X’s) capacity to trust other people had been so damaged by her history that she came to find it hard to trust anyone.”

A youth worker at the facility where Girl X died said she was a “really inspiring” person and, through tears, said “when she was happy she could light up a room.” Another worker at the facility said Girl X was a “leader”.

She was “really, really lovely” but workers “struggled” to unlock her “potential”.

Girl X’s biological father and mother, her aunt and her twin brother were in court for the opening day of the inquest.

The inquest will continue today.

Girl X died in Westmead Hospital in 2014.

PRESSURE GROWING ON MINISTER BRAD HAZZARD

Alicia Wood

THE operators of the refuge where Girl X was allegedly raped by a staff member have already appeared before the Royal Commission into child sex abuse, with NSW Family and Community Services Minister Brad Hazzard under increased pressure to explain how sending her case back there would ­provide any answers.

Appearing before a NSW Budget Estimates hearing yesterday, Mr ­Hazzard said he did not know the ­centre’s operators had already been ­before the commission. In evidence given last year, representatives for the refuge, which cannot be identified for legal reasons, said the organisation had ­received 30 allegations of child sex abuse in 10 years, and only six were ­sustained. Every one of these was reported to the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

Girl X’s case was the only one of the six that involved a staff member, according to evidence given to the commission, but there was no scrutiny of why her case was dropped.

The refuge’s ­operator said in evidence that: “The staff member was not convicted ... The police dropped the charges but we sustained the allegation not just on the grounds of the police investigation, but because this person had breached the guidelines and responsibilities.”

There was no explanation in the ­evidence why the charges had been dropped after Girl X’s death two weeks before the case was to go to trial.

Mr Hazzard was unable yesterday to say why he only decided last week that the Royal Commission should look at the refuge, despite FACS having ­received reports of the 30 allegations.

The estimates committee also heard three FACS districts looking after 1200 kids did not have child safety accreditations throughout the region’s facilities. Murrimbidgee, Western NSW and the Mid North Coast have been given three months to pass the accreditation — which involves passing 23 standards ­including safety and support.