Les White: Leongatha man jailed for sexually abusing girl

A filthy Leongatha paedophile told a young girl “bad things” would happen if she told anyone about his “perverted” sexual abuse.

Les White was jailed for his crimes. Picture: Generic

A filthy Leongatha paedophile told a young girl “bad things” would happen if she told anyone about the sick sexual acts he performed on her.

Les White, 76, was jailed at Melbourne County Court on Wednesday after he was found guilty of committing an indecent act with a child under 16, sexual penetration of a child under 16 and attempted sexual penetration of a child under 16.

The court heard White sexually abused the victim, aged between 8 and 13, in the mid-2000s.

White forced the victim to kiss him, and on another occasion he touched the girl inappropriately while she was on his shoulders.

The victim asked to be put down but he refused because she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

White also encouraged the victim to kiss and rub his genitalia.

The victim feared she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease after learning about it at school.

After sexually assaulting the girl, White told the victim she couldn’t tell anyone about what he had done otherwise “bad things” would happen.

White also forced an object into the victim’s genitalia.

In a victim impact’s statement, the woman said she felt terrified and powerless.

“The crimes have made me uncomfortable with my body and feel unsafe just existing,” she said.

“I don’t shave my body so that I don’t seem physically attractive or childlike in any way.”

The woman said she struggled with trusting people as she believed they had an “ulterior motive”.

“I panic every time I see an old man with a white beard or grey hair,” she said.

“I have worse flashbacks when I do and it takes weeks to recover.”

The woman said she had anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

“I had to come to terms with the fact that my life will never be good, safe, normal or something that I enjoy,” she said.

“I will forever be looking over my shoulder, scared of every car door, white flash of hair in a crowd or white beard that I see.”

Judge Liz Gaynor said the estranged father-of-two worked as a farmhand, bricklayer and cattle truck driver before suffering from hypertension, emphysema, and heart arrhythmia.

Judge Gaynor said White’s offending was degrading and callous.

“This was classic, predatory, pedophilic behaviour involving the remorseless exploitation of a vulnerable little girl for a period of years,” she said.

“You saw her quite clearly as an object for the satisfaction of your own perverted sexual lusts.”

Judge Gaynor said the victim’s life had been impacted because of White’s “monstrous selfishness”.

White was sentenced to 11 years jail on July 7 with a non-parole period of eight years and nine months.

He was placed on the sex offender register for life.

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