A Canberra man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars for sexually abusing his young stepdaughter, with the ACT Supreme Court hearing the crimes have left the victim estranged from her family and feeling broken "in every way".
A Family Shattered by Abuse and Disbelief
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman described the profound and lasting damage caused not only by the abuse itself but by her family's devastating reaction. She is now estranged from her siblings and her mother, who chose not to believe her allegations.
"One of the deepest wounds I carry is what this has done to my family. My own mother has chosen not to believe me," the woman said in a statement tendered to the court.
She expressed constant worry for her younger siblings, fearing they would forget her or think she abandoned them. "Every single day I wonder if they're OK and every single day I blame myself for losing them even though this situation wasn't my fault," she told the court.
'The Opposite of Remorse': A Judge's Scathing Assessment
On Friday, December 19, 2025, Chief Justice Lucy McCallim sentenced the stepfather to a total jail term of 10 years, with a non-parole period of five years. The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, continues to maintain his innocence.
An ACT Supreme Court jury had previously found him guilty of five charges, including sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and committing an act of indecency on a child.
In her sentencing remarks, Chief Justice McCallum was scathing in her assessment of the offender's attitude. "I do not know what the opposite of remorse is but that is what the offender has," she stated. She cited a letter from the victim's mother, who had pleaded for her partner's release, as evidence of this lack of contrition.
The judge noted the mother had "chosen to disbelieve and essentially abandon her daughter," a betrayal that had forever changed the victim, who was subsequently cared for by her sister.
The Crimes and a Chilling 'Little Secret'
Chief Justice McCallum found the victim to be an impressive and reliable witness. The court heard the five offences were committed on three separate occasions over a four-year period.
The abuse began when the victim was just nine years old and her stepfather was 21. He would wait until his partner, the victim's mother, was absent before assaulting the child. On the first occasion, after the girl verbally protested and went to another room, the man followed.
Unable to speak fluent English at the time, he used Google Translate on his phone to write a chilling message: "This can be our little secret."
"The offence did not involve violence but violence is often not necessary to secure the co-operation of a child," Chief Justice McCallum said of the first crime. In the following years, he exploited empty houses and his role as a carer to abuse the child again.
The victim described days of overwhelming stress and pain where she could not get out of bed. Yet, she showed remarkable resilience, stating in her impact statement: "I refuse to let this destroy my life ... nothing can return the childhood that was taken from me."
The stepfather has also been convicted of other crimes against the same victim in New South Wales. Factoring in time already served in a territory prison, he will be eligible for parole in September 2030.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 6247 2525; Bravehearts 1800 272 831; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.
