Incest, lies end in jail for Tia brother
TRENT Thorburn will walk out of prison in January after pleading guilty to having sex with his foster sister Tiahleigh Palmer and lying about her death.
The 20-year-old was yesterday sentenced for his part in the cover-up of the 12year-old foster child’s death.
Tiahleigh was reported missing on October 30, 2015. Her foster father, Rick Thorburn, told police he had driven her to school that morning and watched her walk towards the school gate.
But the court heard Tiahleigh was not driven to school that day – she had been murdered the night before, allegedly by Rick, after he discovered Trent had had sex with her. Her body was found six days later on the banks of the Pimpama River.
Trent yesterday pleaded guilty to incest, attempting to pervert the course of justice and two counts of perjury for his efforts to steer police away from his family.
He admitted to lying in two Crime and Corruption Commission hearings, initially denying any sexual contact, as well as lying about his knowledge of Tia’s fate.
The court heard Trent confessed to a cousin that he had sex with Tiahleigh in the days before her death. He told the cousin he was worried she could be pregnant.
The cousin urged him to speak to his parents, which he did, approaching his mother the following day.
At a family meeting later that night, Rick Thorburn announced Tiahleigh was “no longer with us”, a statement Trent and Josh took to mean that she was dead.
In sentencing Trent, Judge Craig Chowdhury said his conduct in the months that followed was cowardly.
“Australians have a history of being courageous – courageous in war, courageous in natural disasters, and courageous generally in the way they conduct their lives,” he said.
“You had the obligation to do the right thing no matter how hard it was and no matter how much trouble it was going to get your father in or your mother or your brother.
“But to use the colloquial expression, you needed to man up – and your failure to do so is a shocking reflection on you.”
He said Trent’s eventual confession to the sexual encounter came only after he was presented with evidence.
“That’s when you gave the completely implausible account of Tiahleigh being the initiator of the sexual intercourse and you just lying there and taking it, as it were,” he said.
Judge Chowdhury sentenced Trent to four years in prison, suspended after 16 months. The 20-year-old has already served just under a year, nearly all of it in solitary confinement.
In a short victim impact statement, Tiahleigh’s mother Cindy said she was not yet able to fully express her pain given there were matters still before the court.
“Trent, you took advantage of my 12-year-old girl when you were in a position of trust,” she said.
“You lied and covered up the fact that you had sex with my 12-year-old daughter, and even went to the extent of coming to her funeral and dancing at the service. At some stage you will walk free and go on to live a full life. We as a family have been handed nothing but (the) pain and torment of your actions for a lifetime.”
Rick Thorburn is yet to face trial for murder.
His wife Julene will also face a sentencing hearing in November for perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.