Moreton Bay man, 56, in Beenleigh Court for indecent treatment of child under 16
A family friend who preyed on a teenaged Moreton Bay girl, traumatising the victim and leaving her feeling “uncomfortable in her own skin’’, has avoided jail.
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A family friend who preyed on a Moreton Bay teenager, traumatising the victim and leaving her feeling “uncomfortable in her own skin’’, has avoided jail.
Beenleigh District Court heard on Monday, January 12, that the 56-year-old Moreton Bay man was friends with the 15-year-old girl’s family.
The defendant, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was living with the family in Moreton Bay when he tried to kiss and touch her.
In a powerful victim impact statement read out to the court, she spoke of the shame and trauma the abuse had inflicted on her.
“He left me uncomfortable in my skin,” she said.
“I wake up breathless in the middle of the night because of the nightmares you gave me.
“I have flashbacks and panic attacks when I look at that shed (where the incidents happened).
“Watching my dad cry broke my heart when I told him, knowing somebody touched his little girl and there was nothing he could do to stop it.”
The court heard that on October 23, 2021, he was giving the girl a ride home from the supermarket and tried to touch her legs and chest.
When they got home, he asked her to help put groceries away in a garden shed before trying to kiss her and take her clothes off.
He also told her he was in love with her.
The court heard the man could hear the girl’s father outside the shed, so he stopped touching her.
The defendant pleaded guilty to indecent treatment of a child under 16.
Defence lawyer John Fraser said his client showed remorse and contrition.
“He has generally led a productive life and has a good work history,” he said.
Judge Craig Chowdhury said the defendant had no criminal history and should have known better.
“You were a 54-year-old man in a position of trust,” Judge Chowdhury said.
“The offending was persistent, you lived in the same property and it has had a significant adverse effect on the victim.
“It was a bizarre moment of madness that has had a shocking impact on her and on yourself.”
He was sentenced to four months’ prison, wholly suspended for 12 months.
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Originally published as Moreton Bay man, 56, in Beenleigh Court for indecent treatment of child under 16
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