Michael Salerno: Traralgon father jailed for historic sexual crimes

A Traralgon girl sexually assaulted as a young teen was robbed of her childhood and felt “monumental guilt and shame” for 35 years.

A Traralgon dad has been jailed after he sexually` penetrated a 12-year-old girl while she was pushing him off her and saying “no, no, no”, a court has heard.

Michael Salerno received an 18 month jail sentence after he was charged with indecent assault and sexual penetration.

He earlier pleaded not guilty in the County Court to the crime which occurred in 1987.

The court heard Salerno, 55, indecently assaulted the teen in her home when he entered her room after a night of drinking 35 years ago and “took away her right to be a child”.

Salerno, then 19, climbed into his victim’s bed, took off their clothes and sexually penetrated the girl, causing her “significant pain”.

After two minutes, he got up, dressed himself and then left the room, leaving his victim in blood-soaked sheets.

Court documents reveal the Traralgon man returned to his friends and made a lewd gesture referencing what he had done to his victim.

When he was told the victim was 12, he said “so what?”.

It wasn’t until 2018 when the victim decided to go tell police about the assault.

In a pretext phone conversation between her and Salerno in 2019, Salerno admitted he had a “bit of guilt” over what happened when she was 12.

He said he was “stupidly drunk” and “not really in control of what he was doing”.

“It wasn’t a premeditated thing, it was more of an alcohol thing,” he said.

In 2019 he was arrested for indecent assault and sexual penetration of a person between 10-16 years of age and answered “no comment” in a police interview.

Since the assault the court heard his victim, now 45, has felt “monumental” guilt and shame, and has been prescribed medication for depression multiple times.

A victim impact statement revealed at 12 she received an “immediate life sentence” as Salerno took away her right to be a child the night he abused her.

“I immediately felt shame, fear and judgment from society,” she said.

“I was an innocent child who had done no harm to anyone and yet that made no difference to the punishment, victimising and gaslighting thrust upon me at that moment and throughout my life.”

Due to the mocking and torment she was subject to following the assault, the victim said she learnt she was not to be respected and must give “sexual gratification”.

“Being berated and degraded ... and mocked by Michael’s friends gave me the message I was not meant to be respected in a relationship and meant to give sexual gratification, even if that was not what I wanted,” she said.

Judge John Smallwood said this offending which happened in the late 1980s was “opportunistic though brutal” and had “dreadful consequences” for the victim.

“What I'm faced with is a 19-year-old young male who has gone into a 12-year-old girl, a virgin, and violently sexually penetrated her and effectively put her in a situation of being mocked afterwards,” he said.

Judge Smallwood said Salerno had “done well for 35 years”, but his victim has “done the best she can under very, very difficult circumstances, and will continue to do so”.

For the charge of indecent assault, Salerno was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and for the charge of sexual penetration he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

The sentences will be served concurrently with an 18-month suspended sentence, meaning Salerno will spend a total of 18 months behind bars.

He had served 16 days at the time of sentencing.