Ben Hill: Melbourne dating app paedophile faces deportation for rape

A single mother’s “greatest fear” was realised after she met a Melbourne man online and struck up a relationship, only for the man to sneak into her daughter’s bedroom while she slept and commit a despicable act, a court has heard.

Ben Hill matched with the Geelong woman online and gained her trust before turning his vile attention to her young daughter, the court heard. Picture: Joe Raedle

A dating app paedophile matched with a woman online before raping her daughter while the girl’s mum slept nearby, a court has heard.

The grubby details of the filthy act were aired at Melbourne man Ben Hill’s sentencing at the County Court on August 6, where he was jailed for a minimum of nine years.

Hill, 33, matched with the girl’s mother online in early 2017 and weeks later travelled to Geelong to visit her and her children at their home, Judge Gerard Mullaly said.

The woman had earlier met Hill face-to-face in late April and they’d formed a sexual relationship, but on his first night in the family home Hill turned his depraved attentions to the woman’s daughter.

Judge Mullaly told the court that after the family went to bed, Hill crept from the main bedroom into the daughter’s room.

There, he slid into bed beside the girl and anally raped her before further touching her inappropriately.

After he left her room, the girl got up and went to the laundry where she started to cry before her confused mother found her and put her back to bed.

But after the household had gone back to sleep, Judge Mullaly said Hill again went to the girl’s room where he repeated his despicable act.

“She was a vulnerable child and you simply used and violated her,” Judge Mullaly said.

“You knew what you were doing was so dreadfully wrong and harmful, but you put your perverse gratifications ahead of all else, including a small child. You told her to keep it a secret because you knew it was wrong.”

A jury trial in 2019 failed to reach a verdict, elongating the trial process for everyone involved, Judge Mullaly said.

He was found guilty by another jury in November and Judge Mullaly said Hill, who was born in Ireland, faced almost certain deportation upon his release.

“This is a mother’s, a woman’s, greatest fear. That in seeking out a romantic relationship it risks and causes harm to her own child as a predator,” he said.

Hill was convicted as a serious offender and sentenced to a total of 12 years’ and three months’ prison.

He must serve at least nine years before becoming eligible for parole and Judge Mullaly declared 269 days’ presentence detention as time served.

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