Community | The Singleton Argus

A 28-year-old man who sexually abused a teenage girl on a camping trip two years ago has been jailed. The man, who cannot be named as doing so may identify his victim, pleaded guilty to a count of penetrative sexual abuse of a young person in the Supreme Court in Burnie last month and was sentenced by Justice Tamara Jago on Tuesday, December 5. Justice Jago told the court the abuse occurred in a swag in April 2021, and was not an isolated occurrence, but he had not been charged for anything else and would, therefore, only be sentenced for the one crime. The court heard the pair had met when the man was 25 and the girl was 15 years old, and were in an "intimate relationship" between June 2020 and November 2021. However, the judge said it was not alleged the sexual abuse had occurred without the girl's consent, but that mattered little because of her age. "As an adult it was your obligation to ensure you did not engage in sexual relations," Justice Jago said to the man. She said the court must recognise the "significant" age disparity between the pair and protect young people who do not have "sufficient maturity" to understand the consequences of engaging in sexual intercourse. "The law recognises that a person of this age is not mature nor experienced enough to make considered decisions," Justice Jago said. She said the victim had not provided an impact statement, but that it was well recognised crimes of this nature had significant and long term consequences. The court heard the man had two children to other relationships, a 12-year-old and a five-year-old, and the judge said he had "understandably" been prevented from seeing his youngest child since these crimes came to light. The man was jailed for 15 months, 10 months of which was suspended, and placed on the sex offender registry for five years on his release from prison. He did not react as he was led from the court. If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, you can call North-West sexual assault support service Laurel House on 6431 9711.

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