Carer sent to prison on child sex charges

A MOTHER found out her 14year-old daughter was sleeping with a man more than twice her age when she saw intimate images of him on her phone.

William Charles Foley, 33, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for charges relating to carnal knowledge and maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child when he faced Townsville District Court on Monday.

Crown Prosecutor Amanda Payne said Foley was a carer for a person known to the teenage girl. The court heard the victim has an intellectual impairment and the relationship occurred over an 11-week period between January and March 2018.

The mother of the victim allowed her to sleep over at the house where the carer and his client lived, believing she was keeping them company.

The court heard Foley would have sex with the 14year-old every Friday and Saturday, and sent her messages telling her how he loved and missed her, and that she was his “bad girl”.

One weekend, the girl’s mother said she couldn’t go over for Easter, when she read the text messages between the two professing their love for each other.

Ms Payne read out victim impact statements written by the teenager and her mother.

“I didn’t know if I was a child or an adult, I feel scared of most people and I stopped going to school for 10 weeks … I’m trying to feel better about myself again,” the girl said.

The mother in her statement said she was betrayed by Foley who she trusted with the wellbeing of her daughter.

“She has become very emotional … she dresses in baggy clothes as she does not want to be noticed or stand out,” the mother wrote. “She had a big personality and a contagious laugh, now she is just sad.”

Defence barrister Kelly Stone said Foley had a good childhood which was free from trauma and had a 14-year-old daughter of his own as well as another child. Mr Stone said Foley had the support of his mother who sat in the back of the courtroom during the sentencing.

Judge Gregory Lynham said the sexual relationship had negatively affected the teenage girl who had since become withdrawn.

“You had no right whatsoever to have a sexual relationship with the complainant,” Judge Lynham said.

“She needed your protection. You abused that protection by having sexual relations with her.”