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Benjamin Wynn faces Queanbeyan District Court over child sex offences

A skier who represented Australia at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics is behind bars after being exposed as a serial child sex offender with four victims.

The Queanbeyan District Court, where Benjamin Wynn faced a sentence hearing on Thursday.
The Queanbeyan District Court, where Benjamin Wynn faced a sentence hearing on Thursday.

A skier who represented Australia at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics is behind bars after being exposed as a serial child sex offender with four victims.

One of the teenagers has detailed the “grief, humiliation and heartache” she endured at the hands of Benjamin Wynn, writing in a victim impact statement that the process of bringing the athlete to justice had “totally destroyed” her.

Wynn, 21, faced Queanbeyan District Court on Thursday via audiovisual link from prison, where he is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a series of child sex charges.

The offences include aggravated sexual assault of a victim under 16, and several counts of sexual intercourse with a child.

Wynn, who was 18 at the time of his offending in 2021, committed the crimes while living in the NSW Snowy Mountains region.

Each of the four victims was 15 at the time in question.

Court documents show Wynn knew each victim’s age, revealing he urged one of the girls not to tell anyone about his offending because he could go to jail.

On Thursday, one of Wynn’s other victims told the court he had made her feel “uncomfortable, insecure and weak”.

Benjamin Wynn. Picture: YouTube
Benjamin Wynn. Picture: YouTube

She said her four-hour interview with police had been “one of the most confronting things” she had ever endured.

“This whole process has really destroyed me,” the victim said.

“For six months, I was a different person.

“I was scared of what I had said in my statement, terrified of going to court, embarrassed, and just really frightened.

“I struggled to fall asleep and often was up all night.

“My grades at school dropped and I lost all of my confidence.”

The teenager also described how she had initially wanted to pull out of the “draining and humiliating” court process, only to decide she had to stand up for herself and be “courageous”.

“I was more than a victim of Ben Wynn and I am more than the initials used to describe what he did to me,” the victim said.

“From now on, I will only find space in my mind to pity him.

“I can no longer live with resentment and hate.

“All I hope is that Ben is served a consequence that reflects how he treated me and any others that are counted as victims.”

As Wynn watched on from jail, defence barrister Matthew Johnston SC told the court the 21-year-old had good prospects of rehabilitation.

Mr Johnston said Wynn’s youth and immaturity had been significant factors in his offending, for which he had expressed remorse.

The barrister added that Wynn had been enduring “a very tough time” in prison, where he was being kept in protective custody, but accepted further time behind bars was inevitable.

“There’s no submission being made that he should be released tomorrow,” Mr Johnston said.

Crown prosecutor Talitha Hennessy said she accepted Wynn had shown remorse.

Ms Hennessy told the court that while only one of the girls had provided a victim impact statement, it could be inferred that the other three had also suffered negative consequences.

Judge Peter Whitford SC ultimately reserved his decision.

He indicated he planned to sentence Wynn later this month.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/canberra/benjamin-wynn-faces-queanbeyan-district-court-over-child-sex-offences/news-story/34c3f7d7cac71372ac18c1de9e7d5650