‘I was a little boy’: Story that will make your blood run cold

Stewart Carter was sexually abused by Gary Bloom as a 10-year-old. But one shocking decision allowed the pedophile to walk free.

Imagine having to pass somewhere each day and be reminded of a terrible event. Pulled back to a moment as if it were happening now.

The paddocks and trees are gone and the landscape has changed, but I can see it as if it was happening in front of me. In a small clearing beyond the tree line.

In 1985 as a 10-year-old, I was sexually abused by a man in my neighbourhood.

Stewart Carter was sexually abused as a child. Picture: Supplied

Today, he’s fighting for justice. Picture: Nicki Connolly/news.com.au

Gary Bloom was a primary school teacher, swim coach and my neighbour. In those moments of abuse, I was an object for his personal gratification to be exploited. My sense of identity and self-worth were infiltrated and demeaned. In those moments and after, I believed I would be killed to keep his secret.

I was a little boy.

In August 2019, I found the strength to report the crime to police and in October 2023, having pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child sexual abuse, Gary Bloom was sentenced to five and a half years jail, which after clever legal gymnastics, was reduced to just three years.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Robyn Harper described the offending against me as “predatory and devious”. For the tiniest moment, I allowed myself to believe there would be accountability for the crime and a just outcome.

Judge Harper then exercised her judicial prerogative to fully suspend the sentence and allow Gary Bloom, a convicted child sex offender, to walk free.

This was despite the fact he was also considered by the court to pose a moderate risk of reoffending.

And despite being listed on the Sex Offenders Register, Gary Bloom – an Australian citizen – was then also able to lawfully leave Victoria and return to Scotland where he runs a family bed and breakfast accommodation. He was home in time for Christmas and now has unfettered access to children.

READ MORE: Shock as judge lets Australian pedophile walk free

Gary Bloom was a primary school teacher. Picture: Supplied

The current sex offender registration laws enable Gary Bloom to avoid his reporting obligations for as long as he stays out of Victoria – a point not lost on the Scottish and British authorities and UK press, who have run multiple stories on this travesty.

A justice system that facilitates this devastating outcome fails its chief purpose and the community it serves. It is reasonable for the community to expect that “jail means jail”.

One in four Australians, which represents more than 6 million women and men, report experiencing sexual abuse before the age of 18. Many, like me, take decades to report because of the lasting impacts of the abuse and the barriers we face to disclose and support, compounded by the stigma and judgement from others. Mine is not an isolated experience. Far from it.

It is reasonable for the community to expect that perpetrators of sexual violence and child sexual abuse are held accountable, and for our most vulnerable to be kept safe.

I am urging the Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, the Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes and the Victorian government to support the Opposition’s Private Member’s Bill and deliver the reform which will strengthen sentencing practices relating to historical child sexual abuse.

The Bill, introduced in Victorian parliament in March by the Shadow Attorney-General, aims to abolish suspended sentences for convicted child sex offenders.

So far, he has collected more than 10,000 signatures on a petition in support of the reform.

The proposed reforms would mean that if an offender is sentenced to jail, they do in fact spend time in custody.

The Bill is consistent with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and reflects contemporary community, legal and moral standards. It would bring Victoria into line with other states including NSW, which already passed similar reforms in 2018.

But earlier this year, the Bill was blocked for political advantage by the Victorian government.

Yet it is not dead in the water. And when shared with others, the proposed reform has mass support.

A petition I created received over 10,000 signatures in a matter of weeks, with very little promotion.

On a personal level, this reform would offer hope to many victim-survivors of child sexual abuse who might be wrestling with the decision to report. Hope that justice is attainable, that jail really means jail.

I want them to know their voices matter.

Stewart Carter is now a married father of two. Picture: Supplied

The case made front-page news in the UK. Picture: Supplied

This is not a partisan issue for the government to pointscore and obfuscate as they have done. It is not hyperbolic to say that the Victorian government’s continued stonewalling of the Bill is politically motivated wrongheadedness and a win for perpetrators of child sexual abuse and sexual violence. I am seeking leadership, courage and unanimous support from all Australian governments for this reform.

It is an opportunity to Take The Stand and make meaningful, tangible change that is right, that will help and that is long overdue.

Stewart Carter, 50, is married with two daughters. A survivor of historical child sexual abuse, advocate and defence veteran, he has a deep care for community, social justice and contemporary reform. Sign the petition here