‘Grave’ abuse of trust

Former Scout leader jailed

A FORMER Scout leader, who sexually abused a young boy more than 40 years ago, has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of the “grave” abuse of trust.

Robert William Ridler, 81, showed no emotion in Ipswich District Court on Thursday as he was sentenced to serve four months imprisonment on three counts of indecent treatment of a child.

The court heard the Rangeville man, who worked as an electrician and later as a TAFE teacher, got involved in scouting in the 1970s when his son joined the organisation.

He joined the Rangeville Scouts in Toowoomba where he served for a number of years as Cub Scouts leader before leaving the organisation in 1983.

The court heard about a dozen Rangeville Scouts were camping at Postmans Ridge in the Toowoomba area without adult supervision in the late 1970s when Ridler, then aged in his late 30s, drove to the camp.

He convinced his victim, aged 13 or 14 at the time, to get in his car and travel to a secluded area of the property.

Judge Ken Barlow KC said Ridler pulled out a “stack of porno magazines” and handed some to the young boy who walked off to read them.

“You walked over and put your hand down his pants,” Judge Barlow said.

The court heard he placed the boy’s hand onto his exposed penis.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim wrote he didn’t tell anyone what happened for many years and the incident left him feeling “worthless” over the following decades.

He confided in a family member what had happened when they told him their child expressed an interest in joining the scouts and was later persuaded to file a police report.

Defence barrister Stephen Kissick said Ridler suffered from a range of debilitating health concerns, including a chronic heart condition which would make imprisonment “much harder”.

He had argued the incident simply did not occur and that the boy and Ridler went on a “topographical mapping” challenge, however this was rejected by the jury after a two-day trial.

Ridler, the court heard, had shown no remorse.

Judge Barlow said his sentence must reflect the community expectation that child abusers would be jailed “even in their 80s”.

“If someone commits offences against children they may get away with it for many years,” he said.

“But it likely will catch up with them and they face the prospect of going to jail even in their 80s.”

Ridler was sentenced to a 12-month term of imprisonment with all but four months suspended for a period of three years.

Members of his family, including two sons and his wife, sat behind him in the courtroom as the sentence was read out.