B
BB-Leo
Guest
5 charged with child sex abuse - Young ’Abo’s playing with doodles again
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/article/2007/02/21/2399_news.html
5 charged with child sex abuse
Damon Guppy
February 21, 2007
A YOUTH and four men, aged 16-38, have been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls from a remote community near Cooktown.
The girls, aged 12 and 14, from an Aboriginal community, which cannot be named because it might identify them, were allegedly abused repeatedly over seven years.
Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit detectives expect to lay further charges as part of Operation Blaze, a probe into abuse claims.
Det Sen-Sgt Glenn Horan said the five people had been charged already.
"It (Operation Blaze) centred around communities in the Cooktown area," he said.
A man, 33, was charged with eight counts of incest and three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12.
Two men aged 21 and 20 were each charged with two counts of rape.
A 17-year-old man is accused of raping the 12-year-old girl.
Police also have charged a 16-year-old boy with two counts of indecent treatment and one count of incest.
"There are further matters that we are investigating," Det Sen-Sgt Horan said.
He said the probe started earlier this month from a single abuse claim regarding one of the girls.
"We had information a child was being sexually assaulted by a relative," he said.
The abuse of the girls allegedly dates back to 2001.
Det Sen-Sgt Horan said the prevalence of such offences was becoming more apparent because of the police campaign Be Strong, Be Heard, which teaches children and agencies in indigenous communities about the laws and symptoms of child abuse.
"Younger members of the community realise that if they report matters, police will investigate," he said.
"At the very least, we will make sure the child is not at risk."
In an unrelated case, detectives last Friday also charged a 41-year-old Manunda man with rape, supplying alcohol to a minor and trespass.
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/article/2007/02/21/2399_news.html
5 charged with child sex abuse
Damon Guppy
February 21, 2007
A YOUTH and four men, aged 16-38, have been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls from a remote community near Cooktown.
The girls, aged 12 and 14, from an Aboriginal community, which cannot be named because it might identify them, were allegedly abused repeatedly over seven years.
Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit detectives expect to lay further charges as part of Operation Blaze, a probe into abuse claims.
Det Sen-Sgt Glenn Horan said the five people had been charged already.
"It (Operation Blaze) centred around communities in the Cooktown area," he said.
A man, 33, was charged with eight counts of incest and three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12.
Two men aged 21 and 20 were each charged with two counts of rape.
A 17-year-old man is accused of raping the 12-year-old girl.
Police also have charged a 16-year-old boy with two counts of indecent treatment and one count of incest.
"There are further matters that we are investigating," Det Sen-Sgt Horan said.
He said the probe started earlier this month from a single abuse claim regarding one of the girls.
"We had information a child was being sexually assaulted by a relative," he said.
The abuse of the girls allegedly dates back to 2001.
Det Sen-Sgt Horan said the prevalence of such offences was becoming more apparent because of the police campaign Be Strong, Be Heard, which teaches children and agencies in indigenous communities about the laws and symptoms of child abuse.
"Younger members of the community realise that if they report matters, police will investigate," he said.
"At the very least, we will make sure the child is not at risk."
In an unrelated case, detectives last Friday also charged a 41-year-old Manunda man with rape, supplying alcohol to a minor and trespass.