Lengthy jail time for Great Southern registered sex offender who raped his son’s 16-year-old girlfriend

A registered sex offender who sexually assaulted his son’s 16-year-old girlfriend while she was staying at his Great Southern home has been given a lengthy prison sentence. The 47-year-old Great Southern man — who the Observer has not named to protect the identity of the victim — was sentenced in Perth District Court on December 4 for two counts of sexual penetration without consent and one of unlawful and indecent assault. The court was told the man had first connected with the teenager over social media in August 2022 shortly after she began a relationship with his 16-year-old son, with whom she attended high school. He sent a series of flirtatious messages to her over several weeks, in which he called her “gorgeous” and writing that he bet she “look(ed) hot in (her) hockey outfit”. On August 15, he told her she was “sexy” and he couldn’t wait to meet her in person to “grab that arse for the first time”. All three assault charges occurred between September 16 and 19, 2022, when the victim joined her boyfriend on a visit to his father in the Great Southern. The accused asked the victim, who was staying in the bedroom of the accused’s young daughter, to come into his room after his partner had left for work, where he told her that he was naked and wanted to have sex with her. Despite her telling him “no, it’s not right”, the accused inappropriately touched her over her clothing before putting his hand inside her shorts and assaulting her. He then pulled down her shorts and raped her, during which the victim protested and tried to get away. The accused maintained his innocence since the offending was reported but was found guilty by a jury after a three-day trial that concluded on September 25. In her sentencing remarks, Judge Hayley Cormann said the “very serious” offending represented a breach of trust that was the culmination of weeks of grooming. “I find that you took gross advantage of your position in that household — your position of care, supervision and authority — by committing those offences that morning,” she said. “I find the offending to be very serious because of the significant age discrepancy; that she was a school student in relation to whom you knew was vulnerable; and as a parent in that home, including a sole parent when your partner was at work, you cared for her, in terms of supervision and guidance over the weekend; that you groomed her over some weeks; and that you then tried to persuade her into silence about what you had done.” Judge Cormann noted the accused’s difficult childhood which included abuse from his violent and alcoholic father, who subjected him to pornography and made him witness sexual acts at a young age. She also mentioned character references that depicted him as a “loving and committed father, determined to give your own children an upbringing that is different to yours”, and his position as the full-time carer of his daughter. Despite these factors, Judge Cormann said she did not have “very many matters” to call on for mitigation, given that the accused’s 2009 conviction of sexual abuse of a child made him a registered sex offender and he had not demonstrated any remorse via a not guilty plea. She sentenced him to six years imprisonment, backdated to March 16, 2025, and made him eligible for parole. If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028, the WA Sexual Assault Resource Centre on 6458 1828 or 1800 199 888 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.