How Could You? Hall of Shame-Australia-Mount Gambier Foster Father

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Mount Gambier, Australia, “a former foster father who admitted sexually abusing a young girl in his care is “incredibly ashamed” of his crimes and should be given a “merciful” sentence, his lawyer says during sentencing submissions.

The man in his 50s, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to multiple child sex offences partway through his District Court trial held in Mount Gambier.

Through his pleas, the man admitted sexually abusing the girl, then aged eight to 10, on multiple occasions while she was in his care in South Australia’s south-east.

The court heard the man and his wife of decades had fostered dozens of children over many years but their marriage had broken down as a result of the criminal charges.

The man’s lawyer, Nick Healy, told the court his client decided to change his plea partway through the cross-examination of the victim due to his contrition.

“[He] completely acknowledges and recognises his offending and recognises, most importantly, the impact that his offending has had on the complainant and will continue to have if not for the rest of her life but certainly for many years to come,” he said.

“He is extremely contrite and ashamed of his conduct and that was the reason why during my cross-examination of the complainant, during the morning break he instructed me he wanted it to end.

“He didn’t want to put this girl through anymore, he wanted to own up to what he had done.”

Victim has developed mental health issues

The court heard the girl had developed significant mental health problems as a result of the sexual abuse.

It heard she was now looked after by professional carers and no longer had the benefit of a stable family foster placement.

Prosecutor Will Martin said the girl was initially placed in the care of the man and his wife because she had been maltreated by her biological family.

“She was put under the guardianship of the accused and his wife in an attempt to help her recover from that treatment she had suffered, but it had the opposite effect,” he said.

“She did not recover, her condition regressed and she has developed multiple personalities to assist her in coping, and significantly and quite tragically, this offending has severed the victim’s relationship with [the man’s] estranged wife.”

Mr Martin said the man’s wife had been the girl’s primary carer for four years and the most consistent adult she had in her life.

Mr Healy said his client had never been sexually attracted to children before this offending and there had been no allegations of indecent behaviour towards any other foster children in his care.

He said his client had biological children, now adults, who supported him.

Lawyer requests a merciful sentence

Mr Healy told the court that although his client would likely spend many years in jail, he should receive a merciful sentence with a relatively low non-parole period.

“He is going to do a number of years in prison but I’d ask you to take into consideration the fact that for the majority of his life he has been a productive member of the community,” he said.

Mr Healy requested a sentence that allowed the man a chance of getting out of prison so he could engage with counsellors and be under a period of supervision “that will allow him to get the treatment he needs”.

He also asked the court to allow his client’s bail to continue so he could have a surgical procedure later this week.

Judge Simon Stretton revoked the man’s bail, saying his offending was “regrettably very serious”.

He will sentence the man on Tuesday.”

Former foster father ‘ashamed’ of abusing child in his care, court hears[ABC 9/5/16 by Candice Prosser]

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