A 70-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for child sexual abuse offences committed over more than a decade, with his former partner receiving five years for her involvement in two of the crimes.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of persistent sexual abuse of a child and one count of rape.
The 59-year-old woman was convicted of one count of penetrative sexual abuse of a child and one count of rape.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard the offences occurred between 1989 and 2002 and involved three victims.
Two of the victims were daughters of family friends, while the third was the man’s stepdaughter.
The court heard the girls would visit the couple’s home, sometimes staying overnight.
In one instance, the woman gave one of the victims a letter asking her to indicate whether she would consent to sexual intercourse with the man.
The court heard the victim, who was a child at the time, felt pressured to agree.
Justice Jago said the woman then told the man the answer was yes and was present in the bedroom when the assault occurred.
Another victim was encouraged by the woman to drink alcohol before being sexually assaulted by the man while the woman was present in the room.
The victim was 14 or 15 years old and it was her first experience drinking alcohol.
The man’s stepdaughter was subjected to repeated sexual abuse over several years, beginning when she was seven years old.
The court heard the woman was not involved in these offences.
All three victims provided statements to the court describing the ongoing effects of the abuse on their lives, including difficulties with trust, anxiety and impacts on their parenting and family relationships.
Justice Jago said the offending involved a terrible breach of trust and that the victims were particularly vulnerable.
“The gravity of [the] sexual abuse cannot be understated,” she said.
The court heard the woman’s involvement included facilitating the abuse and normalising it through comments made afterwards. She did not report the man’s behaviour to authorities.
Justice Jago said the woman’s moral culpability was very high despite being convicted of fewer offences than the man.
The matter came to light in 2017 when one of the victims made a formal complaint to ACT Police.
The court was told she had become concerned after seeing a photograph of the man with young children on social media.
Both the man and woman denied the allegations during police interviews.
Justice Jago said neither the man nor woman had shown remorse or insight into their conduct.
The man will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years of his sentence. The woman will be eligible for parole after three years.
Both have been placed on the sex offender register and will be subject to reporting obligations following their release from custody.
Sexual assault support services:
Sexual Assault Support Service (Tasmania): 1800 697 877
1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732
Sexual Assault Counselling Australia: 1800 211 028
Bravehearts (support for child sexual abuse survivors): 1800 272 831
Other helplines:
Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
