Man and woman extradited from Queensland on alleged historical child abuse claims
A man and a woman have been extradited from Queensland and charged following reports a young girl had allegedly been sexually abused in the Hunter Region in 2014 and 2016.
Newcastle
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A husband and wife — who it is believed sought solace in another couple going through similar IVF issues, before allegedly sexually assaulted their 10-year-old daughter — are facing numerous child abuse charges.
The mother of the young girl said the couple were once close family friends as both were refused bail in Toronto Local Court on Tuesday.
Peter David Baker, 59, and Sudarat Baker, 36, were recently extradited from Queensland over the alleged historical sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl in the Hunter.
Ms Baker is charged with three counts of sexual intercourse of a person under 10, in company, while Mr Baker is charged with having sexual intercourse with a person between 10-14, and three counts of sexual intercourse with a person under 10, in company.
“It was a family friend that we trusted, they came into our family and became part of our extended family,” the mother of the young girl said.
“We helped them to try and have a child and we did IVF too, we had already gone through it with our kids and we put them onto a doctor in Sydney and we were helping them out.
“I was receiving treatment for breast cancer and we entrusted them and they would babysit.”
The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced investigations in November 2016, following reports a young girl, then aged between nine and 10, had been sexually abused by a man and woman known to her on several occasions in November 2014, and then again in January 2016.
Nearly two years on from those investigations, a couple were arrested at a North Lakes home in Queensland last week and extradited back to NSW, where they were taken to Raymond Terrace police station and charged.
In court the pair applied for bail but it was opposed by the prosecution, saying the couple had actively avoided police and lied about their whereabouts, at one time travelling to Thailand.
The prosecution deemed them both flight risks and said if granted bail, felt they would flee the jurisdiction.
Magistrate Mike Monahan agreed saying, “these allegations are extremely serious and the safety of the victim is paramount as well as the public.”
Mr Baker who appeared via video link shook his head in disbelief as Magistrate Monahan refused bail for both the accused. A brief will be served before the next adjournment date on November 26.
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The young girl’s mother said she learned of the alleged incidents about 12 months after she finished her cancer treatment, when her daughter told a friend at school, but by then the couple had disappeared.
“We couldn’t understand where they had gone, we couldn’t contact them and couldn’t find them, they just disappeared, vanished,” the girl’s mother said.
“They took off to Thailand. We didn’t think this day would come, we didn’t think they would ever come back.”