FixedIt: Do NOT sensationalise a man who groomed and raped teenage girls

A 45 year old man from Perth was convicted of one count of aggravated sexual penetration without consent, one count of encouraging a child to engage in sexual behaviour, four counts of sexual penetration without consent and one count of unlawful and indecent assault. He pled not guilty and forced those girls to go through the horror of a criminal trial and expressed no remorse.

He sought out teenage girls who were homeless, unsafe at home, and were living with intellectual disability. He groomed them, assaulted them, and raped them.

As the judge said, “the word ‘torture’ is not inappropriate”.

Speaking of words, let’s look at some definitions.

Bribe: “try to make someone do something for you by giving them money, presents, or something else that they want.”

Groom: “form a relationship with a child or young person with the intention of sexually assaulting them.”

Sensationalise: “present information in a way that tries to make it as shocking or exciting as possible.”

What the rapist chose to wear during one of the rapes he committed is not relevant to the crime – it’s never relevant to the crime.

Sensationalising his choice to commit sustained, predatory, deliberate torture of vulnerable girls is repellent, ignorant, misleading, and unethical. As is the implicit nod to transphobia. This is a grotesque headline.

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Books by Jane Gilmore

Fairy Tale Princesses Will Kill Your Children

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