A mother allowed an adult man to sleep in her teenage daughter’s bed, performed sex acts on her and provided her with cannabis.
The then 26-year-old man from North Queensland committed offenses against the 14-year-old and another 13-year-old girl over a period of five and a half months, according to police.
The now 27-year-old father of two pleaded guilty in the Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday to 29 charges involving two minors and one charge of assaulting a police officer.
He has spent the past 15 months behind bars following his arrest in November 2022.
The man (pictured during his arrest in November 2022) was allowed to sleep in a 14-year-old girl’s bed and perform sex acts with the young victim, a court has heard
Prosecutor Clayton Willis told the court the man committed offenses against two girls aged 13 and 14. Cairns Post reported.
The charges against the man related to thirteen separate incidents, including indecent images shared via mobile phones.
Other charges included grooming child exploitation, grooming child exploitation material, grooming a child or parent to induce a child to commit sexual acts, and supplying dangerous drugs to minors.
He was also charged with assaulting a police officer.
Mr Willis told the court the man continued to call a girl after being accused of grooming.
“He showed defiance and lack of appreciation for the serious consequences he faced,” he said.
The man’s lawyer, Kylie Mythen, told the court her client had several medical conditions, including ADHD, despite there being no evidence to suggest a diagnosis.
She added that her client had also completed an opioid addiction course, but admitted there was no evidence he was addicted to opioids.
“He has two children he has no contact with, repeating the generational trauma of not having a father figure. He recognizes that he needs to do better.”
The man had previously committed several property-related crimes, which Ms Mythen said he used to fund his drug habit.
She also told the court that the 13-year-old girl had given her consent and voluntarily participated in the drug offenses committed by the man.
The now 27-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Cairns Supreme Court on Tuesday to 29 charges involving two minors (stock image)
Ms Mythen then argued that the man had not given the 14-year-old girl drugs in an attempt to perform a sexual act.
“She was helpful and further supported the defendant,” she told the court.
Judge Helen Bowskill rejected her argument and the girls happily obliged.
“They are not in a position to make an informed free choice about what they do with their bodies, and our society says you’re an adult, and adults in our community should be responsible enough to make better choices,” said she. .
Judge Bowskill sentenced the man to three years in prison for carnal knowledge and two years for grooming, to be served cumulatively.
He will be eligible for parole in July 2024.