Abuser tries to buy silence
A MAN who indecently assaulted a young girl repeatedly silenced his victim, and in one instance, bought her presents that came with a warning not to talk about his disgusting acts, the County Court has heard.
David Bone was “drunk” when he digitally penetrated the victim, aged about 9, and got her to perform another lewd act on him in a tent outside a South Geelong home in the mid-1980s.
The court heard Bone, now 66, couldn’t remember the events in the tent but a day after his actions he warned the victim he would go to jail if anyone found out what he had done.
Bone, a one-time Geelong hospital and railway worker, continued to deny the indecent assault of the girl at a trial in October and accused her of fabricating details of the abuse for financial gain.
On Thursday, the victim, who reported the abuse to police in 2019, told the court she continued to live in fear.
“I’m currently in fear and had to take medication to try and cope with what you did to me and all of the damage that it has caused,” she said.
“I cannot sleep at night and for many years I slept in jeans and shoes because I heard it was harder to violate someone in jeans.
“I don’t feel like I am what is said to be a normal person due to now having many psychological issues.
“I can’t trust people that I should be able to trust.
“The abuse that you inflicted on me as an innocent child is my reality.”
Despite pleading not guilty, repeated denials and being found guilty at trial, Bone’s barrister John Lavery claimed his client was remorseful.
But Judge Michael Tinney was incredulous and dismissed the contention as “flagrant nonsense.”
“(He) did his level best to ensure that the matter didn’t come to the light of day,” Judge Tinney said.
“He admits no responsibility for the conduct. The next day he was warning her of what happened in the tent. He knew what happened.”
Mr Lavery said a jail sentence for his client should not exceed three years because the offending, while serious, was “mid level” example. He called for the jail time to be “wholly or partly” suspended.
Prosecutor Andrew McKenry said Bone’s breach of trust called for an immediate jail sentence.
Bone was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency.
The maximum penalty for the indecent assault at the time of the offence was five years in jail, while gross indecency carried a two-year maximum sentence.
Bone is due to be sentenced on December 6.