Former Buddhist monk Apinun Ubonrat sentenced at NT Supreme Court
A former Buddhist monk who calls Darwin home has been put behind bars for sexually assaulting a young girl.
A former Buddhist monk who calls Darwin home has been put behind bars for sexually assaulting a young girl.
Last month, Apinun Ubonrat was sentenced after an NT Supreme Court jury found him guilty of two counts of indecent dealing with a child under 16, and two counts of sexual intercourse without consent – which took place between 2014 and 2016.
On June 19, Ubonrat learned his fate.
The court heard Ubonrat committed his first offence against the girl in 2014 when he sexually abused her in her own bed.
A couple of years later, the girl climbed out of bed to go to the toilet when she was confronted by a topless Ubonrat in the hallway.
“Let’s go to the bathroom,“ he told her.
After locking the door behind them, Ubonrat sexually assaulted her.
The court heard the girl did not tell anyone of her ordeal “for some time”, until she confided in her friends and a school counsellor.
Eventually, Ubonrat was charged, however two successive trials fell through, until the crown’s third attempt to prosecute him this year.
The court heard Ubonrat, now aged 49, was a Thai national who grew up in Bangkok.
When he was 21, he became a monk and served in provincial communities before returning to the Thai capital.
In 2007 he obtained a tourist visa for Australia, where he settled and gain citizenship and established a “good employment record”, having filled various jobs since moving to Darwin.
Justice Jenny Blokland noted there were drink-driving offences to Ubonrat’s name.
“Alcohol abuse may well be an issue he needs to deal with,” she said.
Ubonrat’s lawyer expressed concern that their client may experience trouble within the prison walls as a child sex offender, however Justice Blokland said this was to be expected.
“There may well be a question over safety from other prisoners,” she said.
“This, of course, is an issue faced by all prisoners serving sentences for offences against children.
“It is concerning but correctional services are used to dealing with such issues.”
Ubonrat was handed a total sentence of nine years’ imprisonment backdated to March 27, 2025.
A non-parole period of six years, four months was fixed.
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Originally published as Former Buddhist monk Apinun Ubonrat sentenced at NT Supreme Court
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