Supreme Court Man gaoled for five incest offences

Press, 29 July 1976, Page 4

Supreme Court Man gaoled for five incest offences

A Iran who committed ifive offences of incest on (his 15-year-old daughter iwhen purporting to give pier sex education during the last year, was gaoled for two years and a half by Mi - Justice Casey in the Supreme Court yesterday.

The man, whose name was suppressed. had pleaded guilty to the charges in the Magistrate’s Court and was committed to ths Supreme Court for sentence after the Magistrate had declined jurisdiction. Mr D. M. Palmer, for the prisoner, said that the probation officer’s report disclosed that the prisoner’s distress had reached suicidal proportions. He was utterly broken, distressed, and con-j

[|fused. The prisoner did not i believe that he would sur- ( vice a period of imprisonment. Because of the nature ' of the offences he would not ; find much friendship or company among his fellow pris- . oners. Counsel said that he had to acknowledge that the Court . had to treat seriously the offences which struck at the heart of the family. The : prisoner had no previous con--1 victions and was trying to > work out how the offences ; had originated. ! His Honour said that the : prisoner came before him a ■ broken man, full of remorse and distress for what he had j done to his daughter, wife, ■ and marriage. But he could - not overlook the cardinal fact ■ that the prisoner had grossly I abused his position as the ' father of the girl. Instead of •(giving her the protection and

guidance she was entitled to. he had used her to gratify his lust.

The offences had occurred between July. 1975, and June, 1976. There was no evidence that the prisoner was suffering from a mental illness, but his medical report stated that he was suffering from a personality disturbance, but it was not of a serious nature.

For the sake of the daughter, his Honour made an order suppressing the prisoner’s name, occupation, place and details of the offences.