Grandad, 71, charged with rape of girl

AN elderly man has been charged with the alleged rape and indecent treatment of his step-granddaughter over a seven-year period, starting when the girl was just eight years old.

The 71-year-old was arrested this week in Ipswich by detectives from the Gold Coast Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) following a lengthy investigation.

It will be alleged the offending started in 2010 when the child was in the care of her biological grandmother on the Gold Coast through to 2017.

Officer in charge of the Gold Coast CPIU, detective Senior Sergeant Troy Penrose said the man was arrested at Bundamba at the culmination of the yearlong investigation.

“Detectives from the Gold Coast CPIU commenced the investigation in February 2017 after receiving information related to victim, who at the time of the offence was eight years old.

“We will allege those offences occurred from the time she was eight through to 15.

“It was an extensive and protracted investigation and took detectives a fair amount of time to find the alleged offender, who was located in Bundamba.

“He lives out there now, but the majority of these offences occurred on the Gold Coast.

“The victim has shown extreme levels of courage to engage in the process and without her, we wouldn’t be able to act.”

Sen-Sgt Penrose said that although these investigations can take some time and are difficult they will always see them through.

“Corroboration is often difficult in intra-familiar abuse, but often that corroboration can be found years later, sometimes innocuously, or through the victim themselves.

“The intra-familiar offences are very difficult, because there is an element of fear, young people are scared to report things because they’ve been threatened or coerced into not saying things.

“In saying that police will always investigate offences of such a nature, no matter how long ago they occurred.

“And despite those difficulties we do tend to have significant success with historical sex abuse matters.”

It’s understood the girl is no longer in the care of the man.

The 71-year-old was charged with 23 sex offences, including 19 counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, two counts of rape, one observation in breach of privacy and one count of sexual assault.

He was given bail, under the condition to attend Ipswich Magistrates Court on April 11.