Elderly man faces Taree court for sentencing on historic child sexual abuse offences as survivors speak up

For decades, a man idolised by many in a Mid-North Coast town sexually abused girls as young as 10. One victim says she was labelled a “lazy sl-t” by her own parents when she tried to speak out.

The man faces sentencing in Taree Courthouse.

For decades, a man idolised by many in a small town on the Mid-North Coast sexually abused girls as young as 10, with one victim revealing she was labelled a “lazy sl-t” by her own parents when she tried to speak out.

Hers was one of several powerful victim impact statements delivered at the sentence hearing of the man in Taree District Court last week.

The 77-year-old, who cannot legally be named to protect the identity of the victims, has been remanded in custody since entering a guilty plea in July last year to nine charges.

The 77-year-old cannot legally be named to protect the identity of the victims who came forward. Picture: Janine Watson.

Offences include eight counts of assaulting and committing an act of indecency against a female younger than 16 and one count of inciting a female under 16 to conduct an act of indecency.

The abuse took place in the Taree area from the mid 60s through to the early 80s.

Offending relates to five separate females. It’s alleged one girl was offended against from the ages of nine to 14.

One victim was a neighbour and her parents refused to believe her account of the abuse – instead labelling her a “fat lazy s--t” and a “w---e”, according to her statement.

“I lost trust in my parents and was ostracised by the small community,” she told the court.

“I lived with the stigma of his denial while he sat silent for 45 years.”

In her 20s, the woman tried to “rally other victims to come forward, but to no avail”.

Another victim also spoke about not being believed when she eventually spoke out about the abuse many years later.

She said when she became a mother she “trusted nobody with my boys”.

“You took away my childhood and I was always frightened – I hate being touched or cuddled even to this day,” she told the man as he sat in the dock.

The women spoke about the lifelong impact of the man’s horrendous sexual abuse. Picture: File

Another woman, related to the man and aged just 10 at the time she was abused in the mid 60s, addressed him directly during her statement and said “my parents idolised you”.

“You scarred me and scared me. I was taught to be wary of strangers, not wary of family,” she said.

“You’re a disgrace.”

The woman said she always felt different, never fit in, and struggled with relationships.

A defence lawyer told the court his 77-year-old client was “not a young man”.

He said the man led a blameless and “chaste” life for the last 45 years since the offending and had stopped abusing the victims of his own volition.

The lawyer said the man “hopes to die in the community, not in a prison cell.”

Judge Sutherland will deliver his sentence on March 27.

Originally published as Elderly man faces Taree court for sentencing on historic child sexual abuse offences as survivors speak up