A woman’s reports of sexual assault at the hands of her stepfather were ignored by church leaders, according to court documents.
Between 1980 and 1983 the victim, then aged between 13 and 16, was sexually assaulted by her stepfather, who was aged between 28 and 31. The family were practising members of the Jehovah’s Witness Church.
Church elders failed to report allegations a woman had been sexually abused by her stepfather, who was a member of the church, as a teenager.Credit: Getty Images
The man admitted the abuse occurred “dozens of times”, escalating in seriousness, as the girl lay in her bed at her mother and stepfather’s house in NSW, and once when she was sleeping in a tent with her stepbrothers.
Her mother forced her to move out following the final instance of abuse. The victim said the offender lied to her family and made her out to be a “homewrecker”.
In 1989, six years after being forced out of her home and after the church had appointed a new body of elders, the girl told church elders about her stepfather’s abuse.
The man denied the abuse and the church failed to report it to authorities.
The woman reported the abuse again to church elders in 2000. This time, the man “confessed everything” to them, the court said. The elders contacted the girl, advising her that her stepfather had been removed from his position within the church.
It was another 23 years until he was charged: In July 2023, the man pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual abuse. Now in his early 70s, last month he was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment with a six-year non-parole period.
The prosecution said the man had limited remorse and insight. It said he had told a psychologist his crimes were an “overstep” and “selfish”. He said he assumed his young stepdaughter was “reciprocating” as she didn’t lock the door or complain.
The woman’s victim impact statement, read by her husband to the court, outlined how her stepfather’s abuse and lies to her family and the church affected her life. The woman self-medicated with drugs and alcohol, and she has been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Sorry will never, ever repair the damage you did to a young girl and the trauma you caused me. You had everyone think I was a liar and a homewrecker. You disgust me. I don’t know how you lived with this. Actually, I do know; it’s your arrogance that got you through and your smugness,” her statement read.
In his sentencing, Judge Grant Brady, SC, criticised the church for failing to report the crimes, calling it “lamentable”.
Brady said the offender lived a comfortable family life while the woman suffered.
“[His] lies made her a helpless, sad and a very angry young teenager who was not believed. She bravely persisted to bring about justice. She has experienced nightmares, flashbacks, and feelings of abandonment,” he said.
“The offending was predatory and involved ongoing abuse against a vulnerable child. It was a gross breach of trust.”
The man will be eligible for parole in June 2029.
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