Survivor quizzed over decision not to disclose abuse earlier

Dion Barber did not disclose the full extent of the abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his stepfather, father and grandfather even when making a claim for criminal injuries compensation

Dion Barber, centre, arrives at Perth District Court with his lawyer. Picture: NewsWire/Emma Kirk

The man suing the state of Western Australia for compensation over the child sex abuse he says he suffered while a ward of the state has explained why he kept some details of the abuse a secret for ­decades.

Dion Barber told the WA District Court on Monday that he had been reluctant to share the full extent of his experiences due to the outcome when he first spoke up.

Mr Barber was just eight years old when he first alleged that he had been sexually and physically abused by his stepfather.

The Children’s Court subsequently found that, on the balance of probabilities, he had been sexually abused and issued an order making him a ward of the state – effectively giving WA’s Department of Communities control over his life.

Just weeks after that Children’s Court order, however, the Department – in a decision signed off by Don Punch, now a minister in the Cook government – determined that Mr Barber should be reunited with his family. That occurred four months later, with Mr Barber then allegedly experiencing violent abuse at the hands of his stepfather before authorities were again alerted.

He has also as part of his case described sexual abuse inflicted upon by him by his biological father and maternal grandfather, both of whom he was put into the care of by the department.

Under cross-examination by the barrister representing the state, Fiona Stanton, Mr Barber was asked why he had not disclosed the full details of the abuse he had suffered during later interactions with police and authorities, and when he filed a Criminal Injury Compensation (CIC) claim as an adult.

Asked by why he would not have given a full account of the sexual abuse when making the CIC claim, given it was in his financial interests to disclose those episodes during that process, Mr Barber said he had been unwilling to speak up due to the fallout from his initial complaint.

He told the court that he had still been returned to the home of his mother and stepfather after he first spoke out about the abuse, while his mother had refused to believe him.

“I never wanted any of that to be known by anyone,” Mr Barber said of the sexual abuse incidents first alleged during this trial.

“I mentioned this as a child earlier on, and this is what resulted in my mum kicking me out and saying that she hated me.”

He said he was not happy about having to air publicly details of abuse that up until now he had never shared.

“My case was three allegations of Welfare putting me in a dangerous home,” he said.

“That’s all I wanted. I did not want all this on a public forum, talking about the deepest, most horrible things happening in my life.”

Those disclosures included details about sexual abuse inflicted upon him by his father, who later went on to be jailed for the sexual abuse of another child.

Mr Barber was placed into the care of his father despite the man having previously been jailed and having been the subject of domestic violence allegations against both his son and Mr Barber’s mother.

He said he had made a deliberate decision not to speak about his treatment by his father when he made his claim for criminal injuries compensation.

“It wasn’t about the money on that. I did not want that spoken about,” he said.

“I’m not happy about that being out, I’d prefer it never be said.”