Mooroolbark man jailed for sexually abusing transgender son

A Mooroolbark man with an “extensive criminal history”, involving a series of family violence offences, has been jailed for 18 months for sexually abusing his transgender son.

The court heard the victim had since suffered from severe depression.

A Mooroolbark man who sexually abused his son has been jailed.

The man was jailed for 18 months in the County Court on May 24 after he pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault.

The court heard the man smoked cannabis and ice with his son one before he put a pornographic film on TV and molested the 18-year-old.

His Honour Judge Mark Dean said the victim, who had only begun living with his father for the first time less than two months earlier, “was so shocked” by his father’s action he passed out.

The sentence was handed down in the County Court on May 24.

The court heard the assault came the day after the man had said he could not understand why his child would want to “get rid of” his “great body” by having gender reassignment surgery.

Judge Dean described the “profoundly traumatic effect” the incident had on the teenager, saying he had gone on to suffer from severe depression.

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“Having been placed in care as an infant, he has now again separated from his family by reason of your criminal conduct,” he told the man, who can’t be named for legal reasons.

“Your offending was partly motivated by your own sexual gratification, fuelled by methamphetamine consumption and also it was somehow intended to dissuade your son from transitioning his gender.”

“This was a gross breach of your responsibilities as a parent.”

Judge Dean said he did “not detect real insight or remorse” from the father regarding the incident, who denied his actions until the first day of the committal proceedings.

He said the man himself had been sexually abused as a child by a paternal uncle.

The court heard his “extensive criminal history”, including four Community Corrections Orders and four suspended prison terms.

Judge Dean said he was taking the man’s early plea, psychiatric history and background of substance and alcohol abuse and family violence offending into account in the sentencing.

He ordered the man to serve 18 months, but noted he had already served 169 days prior to sentencing.