Predator offered cake to lure young victims

Felicity Caldwell | 10th November 2009

A MAN lured two nine-year-old girls into his cubby house with the promise of chocolate cake before making them play spin the bottle.

Ipswich District Court was told the man, who was about 17 at the time, threatened he would shoot the girls with a nail gun if they did not play the game which involved removing pieces of clothing.

The man, who is now 19 years old, pleaded not guilty to two charges of indecent treatment of a child aged under 12 but was found guilty by a jury yesterday.

The man, who cannot be named, was sentenced to a 12-month intensive correction order.

Crown Prosecutor Sal Vasta said the man asked his neighbour’s daughter and her two friends if they wanted to play at the house he shares with his grandmother in Lockrose – west of Lowood.

“He said he had some chocolate cake back at his place,” he said. “They did go into the house... but there was no chocolate cake – he gave the excuse that his grand- mother would’ve eaten the last piece.”

Mr Vasta said the group played “tiggy” or tag, with the man “lingering” when he grabbed one of the girls, putting his hands down her pants.

He then said: “Would you like to come into my cubby house?” Mr Vasta said.

One of the girls, 11, said she was bored and left, but the other two stayed to play “spin the bottle” on the unknown day in spring 2007.

“They weren’t that keen to play but he threatened both of them that he would shoot them with his nail gun,” Mr Vasta said.

The man locked the cubby house door and moved the bottle so it would mostly land on the second girl, indecently touching her while her friend was not looking.

Mr Vasta said the man made the girls to lift up their shirts before the 11-year-old returned and knocked on the cubby house door.

“There was a rush around to make sure all clothing was on,” he said.

Mr Vasta said the girls did not tell anyone until after the man had a falling out with his neighbours.

The nine-year-old told her mother about the game in the cubby house but said she was scared that she was going to get shot with a nail gun.

Police later searched his home and found a nail gun.

Defence barrister Debra Wardle said there were inconsistencies between the girls’ statements and one of the girls did not tell anyone about the man touching her until cross-examined in court.

But a jury of seven men and five women came back with a guilty verdict after five-and-a-half hours yesterday.