Ashleigh Wilson; 7/9/06; www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Claims that 10 people, including five teenage boys, sexually abused a 12-year-old boy over three months at a Top End Aboriginal community were described by a magistrate yesterday as the most serious he had ever heard. The five teenage defendants were granted bail in Darwin Magistrates Court over the alleged abuse of the boy on seven separate occasions at the Aboriginal community of Maningrida, 500km east of Darwin.
But the five adult men, aged between 19 and 39, will remain in custody until a decision on their bail is made on Friday.The defendants face several charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, stupefying in order to commit a crime, deprivation of liberty and drug offences.
The court heard yesterday that a stick was also used in the attacks, while one witness attempted unsuccessfully to stop the abuse from occurring.
Magistrate David Loadman said the accusations were the “most serious I have ever seen”. “They are matters which, if proven, must involve a substantial, if not life, imprisonment as a penalty,” he said. The court heard that the victim — who was 11 when the alleged abuse began — had contracted gonorrhoea.
The prosecution had applied for swabs to be taken from each of the defendants to establish whether any of the accused males had the same type of the sexually transmitted disease. The court heard that some of the men had admitted being present in the room during the alleged abuse, but not involved, while some of the defendants had allegedly implicated others.
In opposing bail for the adult men, prosecutor Jamie O’Brien said there was an extreme risk to witnesses at Maningrida. “This is a serious matter,” he said. “There are 10 offenders involved with one victim.”
Acting Senior Sergeant O’Brien also said it was important to build confidence in the judicial system, referring to the recent debate sparked by Alice Springs prosecutor Nanette Rogers. Ms Rogers detailed several horrific cases of abuse, saying violence was “entrenched” in a lot of aspects in Aboriginal society.
Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mal Brough was later criticised for claiming pedophile rings were operating in Aboriginal community. The teenagers were granted bail on the condition they remain at an outstation.