Boy forced into homelessness on Hobart’s streets due to father’s of sexual abuse

A young boy has shared how he was forced to sleep on the streets of Hobart to escape his father’s repeated sexual abuse. DETAILS >

The boy was forced to sleep on the streets.

A boy repeatedly molested by his father says he was forced to leave home and sleep on the streets of Hobart, shower in the Argyle Street car park and get food from Loui’s Van – with passers-by looking at him with “disgust”.

The boy said being thrust into homelessness, in which he’d sleep “cold and wet” on the ground and in the ABC tunnel, was better than “going home to be assaulted”.

On Wednesday, a 44-year-old man faced the Supreme Court of Tasmania after pleading guilty to sexually abusing his son while he slept, over several years from 2015 from when the boy was aged 11.

He had also pleaded guilty to taking explicit photos of his son’s friend when he slept over.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would sneak into his son’s bedroom at night, with the boy forcing himself to stay awake each night, never knowing when his father would enter and abuse him.

In his victim impact statement read to the court by Crown prosecutor Mick Allen, the son said attempting to stay awake to prevent the abuse left him constantly tired during the daytime.

The boy said sleeping on the streets was better than going home to be assaulted. Picture: Istock

He said he didn’t tell his mother because he feared it would break up the family.

“So I just kept silent and it went on and on,” he said.

“No-one knew what was happening and I had to fake my happiness.”

The boy left home and slept on the streets after his father punched him during an argument.

The boy’s friend also described his pain, in a statement read to the court.

He said he’d had a troubled home life, in which his own father had been verbally abusive.

The friend said the man took him “under his wing and treated me like I was his kid”.

“He seemed to genuinely care about me. It was the first time in my life that I felt worthwhile,” he said.

The friend said he didn’t have the words to describe how the betrayal had hurt him.

“I feel like the abuse has completely ruined my life.”

Mr Allen said after the son notified police, authorities searched the man’s home and seized his devices.

The boy was worried that if he told others of the abuse, it would break up the family.

The man admitted to police he would go into his children’s bedrooms and check on them while they slept, but said he “didn’t have any memories” of abusing his son.

A forensic analysis of the man’s devices revealed nine photos and videos of the boy’s friend the man had taken as the child slept, including images of him abusing the boy.

Police also found other child exploitation material.

The man’s marriage ended after he was charged in 2020, and now lives alone, with little contact with his other children.

He waited until his Supreme Court trial had begun, and the jury empanelled, before pleading guilty to persistent sexual abuse of a child or young person, indecent assault, and production and possession of child exploitation material.

The man will be sentenced on May 5.

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Originally published as Boy forced into homelessness on Hobart’s streets due to father’s of sexual abuse