Oakey dad sentenced for historical sex abuse against young daughter

After subjecting his young daughter to unimaginable abuse, a Queensland father tried to coax her silence by threatening her mother’s love. Warning: distressing content.

Picture: File

An Oakey father has admitted to molesting his own daughter nearly 50 years after subjecting her to the horrific abuse.

The now 77-year-old Oakey father, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his victim, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 (under 14).

The court heard on an unknown date in the early 1980s, the man, then between the age of 33 and 36, molested his young daughter in their family home.

Under updated legislation, the man’s actions would constitute rape; however, at the time of the offence, the molestation was considered indecent treatment and he was charged accordingly.

Crown prosecutor Abby Kong told the court the man exposed himself to his young daughter and forced her to engage in lewd acts before coercing her to perform oral sex.

The girl was between 7 and 9 years of age at the time.

Ms Kong said he then threatened his young daughter into silence.

“She felt frozen at that time,” she said.

“He told her ‘don’t tell your mother, she won’t like it and she won’t love you anymore’.”

The girl later disclosed the abuse to close friends and her high-school guidance counsellor, eventually making a formal complaint to police in early 2022.

In October 2022, the man admitted to the abuse on a covert phone recording.

“He denied knowing specifics of what happened, but he did acknowledge something had happened,” Ms Kong said.

“He called it disgusting, he said he was ashamed of himself and he said he had felt guilty about it his whole life … he apologised.”

Defence barrister Holli Edwards instructed by Jasper Fogerty Lawyers said the man had no criminal history prior to the abuse, nor had he accumulated any in the years that followed.

“It has been a period now of around 40 years since this single occasion of offending occurred,” she argued.

“Across the last three years, (the man) has also engaged with a psychologist, addressing issues around his mental health.

“He is someone who, in the words of his psychologist, is a very low risk of reoffending.”

The man also completed a 12-week sexual offender rehabilitation program in 2024, following his arrest.

Ms Edwards stated the man had suffered various mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, at the time of the offending and struggled both psychologically and physically in his old age, with severe hearing incapacity and mobility issues.

She further argued the man should be spared jail time as he remained sole carer for his partner, who suffered from extreme mental health issues.

“Those have made it difficult for her to engage anyone else, she has no family support, to assist her with day to day activities or attending upon medical appointments.”

Judge Paul Smith AM accepted there were “unusual” factors of the offending which constituted exceptional circumstances in sentencing.

The man was sentenced to two years imprisonment, wholly suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to serve 18 months probation and to pay $4000 compensation to his victim.

Convictions were recorded.