‘Monster’ admits to sickening abuse of children, 40 years later

A “MONSTER” who sexually abused two children in Colac faced court yesterday, more than 40 years after committing his sickening crimes.

Seventy- one- year- old father of five Andrew Geoffrey Lang was married and aged in his 20s and when he offended repeatedly against a girl and a boy.

Geelong County Court heard from the victims, who were aged six and five, respectively, when Lang first abused them.

“It’s a shocking breach of trust,” judge Paul Grant said.

The court heard the offences against the girl continued until, at age 11, she told him, “you can’t do this any more. It’s got to stop”.

Now a woman, she said her abuser’s scent of pipe tobacco and paint still made her “gag”.

“I am sick of him having power over me,” the woman said.

Lang pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of carnal knowledge against the female victim and two of indecently assaulting her, and also indecently assaulting the boy and a theft charge.

Some of the offending happened in the man’s marital bed, unbeknown to his wife, the court heard.

The theft related to 12 pairs of female underwear he stole from his workplace between 1985 and 1990.

Prosecutor Wendy Duncan said police found them at the man’s Colac home when they raided it earlier this year after they were alerted to the historic offences.

The court heard, years after she was abused, the female victim confided to others about what Lang did to her, but the paedophile deflected attention by claiming they had had an affair in her late-teens.

But when the male victim reported the “dirty secret” to police earlier this year, she came forward with her com- plaint. The male victim said Lang’s depravity caused him nightmares and flashbacks that drove him to contemplate suicide in his late-teens, and he later repressed them by selfmedicating with alcohol and marijuana.

But after 30 years of substance abuse he reported the crime. “It was not until I confronted my abuser did I find that I could give up (marijuana),” he said.

The court heard Lang admitted the offences when questioned by police, and his case moved quickly to trial.

Defence lawyer Tania Bolton said Lang was an adopted child who was sent to Geelong College at age 10, and said he was abused at the school.

Ostracised by his family, remorseful and deemed a low risk of reoffending, Lang should be given the hope he would be released from jail before his life ended, Ms Bolton said.

Judge Grant will sentence Lang next Wednesday.