Peter Gordon Lister jailed after pleading guilty to six charges of indecent treatment of a child

A victim and victim’s mother spoke out to reveal the devastating impact of a Toowoomba man’s abuse years after he robbed them of their innocence.

The wait for justice may have taken years, but in Toowoomba District Court this week the man who breached the trust of two young girls by assaulting them was jailed.

Peter Gordon Lister appeared in Toowoomba District Court where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to six charges of indecent treatment of a child.

Crown prosecutor Ellen Fletcher said the 54-year-old assaulted one victim three times between 1994 and 2000 and a second three times between 2013 and 2015 across the Darling Downs.

The court was told the first victim was eight years of age when Lister was babysitting her one night in 1994.

During the night the victim woke to find him lying in bed with her, rubbing her stomach before placing a hand on her vagina, the court heard.

When the complainant tried to get up and leave the room, he picked her up and placed a hand on her vagina as he put her back to bed.

Ms Fletcher said on a separate occasion in about 2000 Lister was staying overnight at the victim’s address and when putting her to bed picked her up and again indecently touched her.

The court was told the three offences against the second victim took place when she was between seven and 10 years of age.

Peter Lister has been convicted and jailed for six offences of indecent treatment of a child.

Ms Fletcher said the victim had been watching television with Lister when he had put his hand down her pants and made “skin on skin” contact.

The offending continued a few years later when Lister tried to pull down the victim’s pants during a car trip, and on another occasion the victim woke to find Lister in bed with her, rubbing her genitalia with his feet.

“The offending has had a profound impact on both young complainants,” Ms Fletcher said.

In a statement to the court, the first victim said she had been left “scared, sad, confused and nervous as someone … took (her) childhood and gave it bad memories”.

“I had nightmares of Peter Lister breaking into my room, I was terrified. I would wake up screaming, crying, kicking and punching.

“Being in closed spaces with men I don’t know gives me panic attacks. A simple hug from family and friends is too much intimacy, it hurts that I don’t have that trust. What Peter has done left scars you can’t see and can’t be healed.”

The mother of the second victim also provided the court a statement, and said her daughter’s innocence was taken from her.

“She can’t have normal relationships with friends, family or anyone,” the statement said.

“This crime has stolen my daughter from me and stolen her life from herself. Imagine not being able to look at yourself without being sick and thinking it’s all your fault.”

Lister’s barrister Robert Glenday said his client had a “tragic and dysfunctional” upbringing,

including the death of his wife and two young sons in a car crash in Gatton in 2014.

Mr Glenday said when Lister was a child his mother was convicted of being an accessory after the fact of the death of two of her children she had with another family, and while he was in the care of his mother’s boyfriend he was forced to abuse his sister or be severely punished.

Judge Deborah Richards described the offences as “serious” and said while he may have experienced a tragic life he should have “sought treatment instead of inflicting pain on others”.

“This was not offending that was out of character for you … the offences had serious long-term ramifications for the victims and their families and in my view makes this more serious offending,” the judge said.

Judge Richards jailed Lister for two and a half years. He will be eligible for parole on September 15, 2022.