- Girl, 10, raped in bed
- By Miki Perkins
- The Brisbane Times
- 02/10/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
A 10-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by an intruder who crawled through her window now feels unsafe in her bedroom and no longer plays sport because she fears he might be in the crowd, a court heard today.
Her attacker, Stephen Maurice, 32, lived just 50 metres down the road from her Sunshine home and the assault was "every parent's worst nightmare", Judge Paul Lacava told a pre-sentence hearing at Melbourne County Court.
The court heard Maurice removed the flyscreen from her bedroom window on October 15 last year and sexually assaulted her while she lay on the top bunk and her sister slept underneath.
"He kept getting taller, I could hear his footsteps on the ladder," she said in a statement tendered to the court.
She woke her sister when he left, but her parents believed their crying daughter had suffered from a nightmare and put her back to bed.
It was not until her father left for work that he noticed the flyscreens propped up against the house and alerted police.
Maurice, who has pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and sexual penetration of a child under 16, was arrested five months later after a fingerprint match.
In a statement tendered to the court her father said he had since seen his confident and outgoing daughter become a fragile "mere shell" of her former self.
He said she was disturbed and fearful of being without her parents and slept either in their bed or on a mattress on their bedroom floor.
"Night time is something to be wary of ... something to fear," his statement said.
"I see the question in the eyes of my children each night as I tuck them into bed."
A statement tendered to the court by the 10-year-old victim said she no longer enjoyed playing sport in front of a large crowd because she feared her attacker may be there.
"(I do) not feel safe in my bedroom because I thought he might come in and get me," her statement said.
Defence lawyer Leighton Gwynn said Maurice, who has a five-year-old-daughter, was deeply remorseful and understood the impact of his crime on the victim and her family.
"The idea for a 'thrill' didn't match what transpired (and) he was fearful and did not achieve sexual arousal," Mr Gwynn said.
In a psychologist's report tendered to the court Maurice claimed he had believed the girl was about 17 years old and stopped assaulting her when he realised she did not have pubic hair.
But prosecutor Michele Williams, SC, said this was a lie and that he had continued to assault the 10-year-old.
Maurice has been in custody for 210 days and will be sentenced next week.
Her attacker, Stephen Maurice, 32, lived just 50 metres down the road from her Sunshine home and the assault was "every parent's worst nightmare", Judge Paul Lacava told a pre-sentence hearing at Melbourne County Court.
The court heard Maurice removed the flyscreen from her bedroom window on October 15 last year and sexually assaulted her while she lay on the top bunk and her sister slept underneath.
"He kept getting taller, I could hear his footsteps on the ladder," she said in a statement tendered to the court.
She woke her sister when he left, but her parents believed their crying daughter had suffered from a nightmare and put her back to bed.
It was not until her father left for work that he noticed the flyscreens propped up against the house and alerted police.
Maurice, who has pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and sexual penetration of a child under 16, was arrested five months later after a fingerprint match.
In a statement tendered to the court her father said he had since seen his confident and outgoing daughter become a fragile "mere shell" of her former self.
He said she was disturbed and fearful of being without her parents and slept either in their bed or on a mattress on their bedroom floor.
"Night time is something to be wary of ... something to fear," his statement said.
"I see the question in the eyes of my children each night as I tuck them into bed."
A statement tendered to the court by the 10-year-old victim said she no longer enjoyed playing sport in front of a large crowd because she feared her attacker may be there.
"(I do) not feel safe in my bedroom because I thought he might come in and get me," her statement said.
Defence lawyer Leighton Gwynn said Maurice, who has a five-year-old-daughter, was deeply remorseful and understood the impact of his crime on the victim and her family.
"The idea for a 'thrill' didn't match what transpired (and) he was fearful and did not achieve sexual arousal," Mr Gwynn said.
In a psychologist's report tendered to the court Maurice claimed he had believed the girl was about 17 years old and stopped assaulting her when he realised she did not have pubic hair.
But prosecutor Michele Williams, SC, said this was a lie and that he had continued to assault the 10-year-old.
Maurice has been in custody for 210 days and will be sentenced next week.
Source: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/10/02/1222651245835.html
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