A 56-year-old Canberra man has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he met outside a shopping centre in December 2024. Laurence Martin Coghlan pleaded guilty to one count of sexual intercourse with a child in the ACT Supreme Court.
The court heard that Coghlan encountered the girl while walking his dog near Westfield Belconnen. He invited her to his home, where he charged her phone and asked her to take a shower. Despite her refusal, he entered the shower and later sexually assaulted her in the bedroom. The girl fled the house screaming and was found by two joggers who took her to a police station.
Acting Justice Patricia Kelly described the offending as 'objectively very serious' and noted the girl's 'extremely child-like' appearance and behavior, which explained why she went willingly with Coghlan. The judge said the girl's handwritten letter to the court expressed the impact of the assault in 'heartbreakingly simple language,' stating that Coghlan had 'destroyed her trust in men.'
The court heard that Coghlan suffers from childhood trauma, a brain injury, and schizophrenia, and was likely experiencing untreated psychosis at the time of the offense. However, Acting Justice Kelly found no direct causal connection between his mental illness and the offending. She noted that Coghlan had 'fallen through the cracks' and was only now receiving treatment due to the serious crime.
Coghlan was sentenced to four years and two months with a non-parole period of two years and one month, making him eligible for release in March 2027. The judge emphasized the need for a substantial parole period to ensure ongoing mental health monitoring and treatment.
