Geraldton man sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing his two young daughters

A Geraldton man who sexually abused his two daughters repeatedly over a number of years has been sentenced to five years in jail. The man, who cannot be identified to protect the identities of the victims, appeared in Perth District Court on Friday for his sentencing after being found guilty of five counts of indecently dealing with a child under the age 13, and one charge of indecently dealing with a child over the age of 13 and under the age of 16 by a jury on March 24. The events happened during a period which is believed to have begun at some point between 2013 and 2017, and finished between 2019 and 2021, when the daughters were visiting the man and away from their mother, as the couple had split up. In the first five incidents, the man indecently dealt with the older daughter, in some instances groping her and in other instances having her touch him indecently. After the daughter decided to stop visiting her father, the man then indecently dealt with the younger daughter, covering her face with a shirt and having her touch him indecently. Each offence happened when the man and the victim were alone in his homes in Rangeway and Utakarra, and were only discovered by the girls’ mother in 2021 after the young daughter told friends at school. The man was also acquitted of one charge of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 during the trial. District Court Judge Linda Petrusa said the man abused his position as a father and sole carer to abuse the victims, and took advantage of his older daughter who felt fearful she would not be believed if she came forward about what her father had done to her. “You used your position as (the victim’s) father to enable you to carry out the offences,” Judge Petrusa said. “You relied on your position as their parent to ensure their silence. “You abused the trust that (victims) placed in you, and the trust that (the victims’ mother) placed in you to care for her children.” The District Court judge said the man’s crimes had left a serious psychological impact on his victims, stating the older daughter had developed trust issues and an eating disorder. “The trust issues impede her ability to get help for her eating disorder,” Judge Petrusa said. “She also becomes anxious and will start to shake and experience tightness of chest.” Judge Petrusa also read the victim statement of the younger victim, who she said had become withdrawn and had difficulty communicating. “I don’t know how to talk about it. I hate talking about it. I feel sick every time I think about it. I don’t want to think about it,” the statement read. The man’s clean record prior to being found guilty was acknowledged and Judge Petrusa said that while the acts were serious, they were in the “mid-range” of seriousness for offences of this type. He was sentenced to five years in jail and will be eligible for parole after serving three years.