Alleged Mullumbimby child abuser deemed fit to face court four years after arrest
A man who allegedly sexually abused several teenage boys in the 1980s has been deemed fit to face court after questions of dementia prolonged the historic child abuse case for four years.
Police & Courts
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An 82-year-old man alleged to have abused seven teenage boys nearly 40 years ago has been deemed fit to be dealt with before the court despite ongoing questions over dementia.
Police allege the man abused the teenagers between 1978 and 1986 in the Mullumbimby area – some of whom were from a boys’ home in the Lismore area – under the guise of teaching them about electronics, CB radios and puberty.
He told police that he and his wife would occasionally “pick out an orphan and take them home for the weekend”, court documents allege.
The court previously heard that the man had dementia leading to a fitness hearing, however those issues have been resolved, magistrate Michael Dakin said in Lismore Local Court on Wednesday.
Police will allege that the accused sexually abused one of the boys repeatedly, sometimes with an object, in 1980.
“You can never tell anyone what we do. This is our secret, it’s between me and you. Other boys do it. It’s normal. It’s what people in electronics do,” the accused allegedly told the victim, according to court documents.
In 1986, the accused allegedly indecently assaulted a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old boy who came to his work shed to learn about electronics.
Ballina police set up a task force to investigate after receiving statements from the alleged victims.
The man had lived in the Philippines since 2005 and was arrested when he arrived at Sydney International Airport from the Philippines in October 2019 for medical treatment.
The man has been charged with 28 offences, including 12 counts of indecent assault on a male, three counts of common assault-T2, two counts of buggery, one count of attempted buggery, two counts of procuring indecent acts with a male, three counts of gross indecency by a male with a male under 18 years and one count of soliciting a male under 18 years to perform an act of gross indecency.
The man will appear before the Lismore Local Court for committal on August 24.
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