‘Family friend’ faces horrific child sex abuse allegations in Gympie court

In one of the most serious allegations, the woman is charged with orally sexually assaulting the girl after taking her to a bathroom and lying her on the floor to check if she had wet her nappy during a religious meeting where both were present.

Disturbing allegations of repeated child sex abuse emerged in a Gympie court on Tuesday, July 13, as a trial against a 30-year-old woman got underway.

Disturbing allegations of repeated child sex abuse emerged in a Gympie court on Tuesday, July 13, as a trial against a 30-year-old woman got underway.

The woman, who cannot be named under a non-publication order made by the court, was a teenager when she allegedly began a string of offences against a child aged between four and about 10 some years ago, the court heard.

The woman, who was a family friend of the victim during the alleged offending, pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape, along with nine charges of indecent treatment of a child under 12 years.

Lawyers for the prosecution and the defence gave their opening statements shortly after the jury was selected and empanelled by Judge Nathan Jarro on Tuesday morning.

The prosecution told the court the alleged victim gave a statement to the Gympie Child Protection Investigation Unit in late 2017, some years after the offences are alleged to have occurred.

In one of the most serious allegations, the woman is charged with orally sexually assaulting the girl after taking her to a bathroom and lying her on the floor to check if she had wet her nappy during a religious meeting where both were present.

That alleged rape took place for 10 to 15 minutes, the court heard.

The prosecution detailed each alleged offence, including repeated instances of the woman rubbing the girl’s genitalia.

One of those incidents occurred in a Rainbow Beach shower cubicle while the two were on holidays there, while there were multiple allegations relating to the woman taking advantage of the child while the two were in bed together.

On another occasion the woman reportedly lured the alleged victim to her car after asking her if she wanted some minties, pulled out a tampon and asked her if she knew what it was.

The child said no and the woman allegedly told her she would when she was a “big girl”, before putting her hand inside the victim’s pants and rubbing her again.

In yet another of the allegations the pair were part of a group of children playing a game of spotlight, and the defendant told the alleged victim there were wild dogs in the bush and she would protect her.

The woman then allegedly took the child behind some plants and put her hands under her pants, not stopping until the alleged victim said it was hurting and they heard the victim’s brother coming toward them.

The court heard the alleged victim told her mother she had been molested as a child in 2017, and had not said anything beforehand because she feared her mum would be angry.

It heard she told her mother the perpetrator was a family friend “who didn’t come over any more”.

Regional news at the heart of our best journalism

The defence told the jury to consider that the allegations depended “wholly and solely” on the alleged victim’s testimony and cross-examination, which were both completed and prerecorded prior to the District Court sittings, and they would need to be satisfied the alleged victim’s evidence was reliable beyond reasonable doubt in order to find the woman guilty.

The court was closed in the afternoon as the jury was presented with the prerecorded evidence of the alleged victim.

Originally published as ‘Family friend’ faces horrific child sex abuse allegations in Gympie court