Mid West man found guilty of decades of child abuse in Geraldton trial

The eight-day trial of a Mid West grandfather concluded in Geraldton this afternoon with a jury of 12 finding the man guilty of decades of child abuse. Yesterday afternoon the District Court found the 64-year-old, who is not named for legal reasons, committed offences against three victims over a 35-year period from 1983 to 2018. He had maintained his innocence from his first court appearance on April 30, 2018, on charges of indecent dealings with children, possession of child exploitation material and the rape of two girls. The convicted man remained motionless and did not express any emotion in the dock while victims and family members cried in the rear of the court as the guilty verdicts were read out by the foreperson. Investigating officer Det-Sen. Const. Tom Grieve told the court the investigation began in February 2018 after the man’s granddaughter revealed to her parents he had molested and taken inappropriate photos of her. The revelation and initial complaint to police led to her aunt stepping forward and telling police about a “long history of abuse her father had perpetrated against her”. Giving evidence in the trial, the aunt said he had sexually abused her between the ages of four and 23. She said she didn’t come forward because “her family didn’t believe her” and had an arrangement with her dad that if she ever found out that he’d done it to someone else, she’d be first in line at the police station. Over the course of the trial the prosecution sought to convince the jury the accused has an interest in young girls and acted on it numerous times. Prosecutor Adam O’Connor said police located big volumes of child exploitation material, including incest themed items, on devices seized from his rural house. Jurors deliberated on the 25 offences for four hours before returning a unanimous verdict of guilty on all charges. The trial was presided over by Judge Michael Gething who thanked the jurors for their service on behalf of the community of Western Australia. “What happens now is my responsibility,” he said. The man will reappear for sentencing on January 15.