Moe incest case
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TheMoe incest caseemerged in February 2007 when a woman, identified only as "M" for legal reasons, reported toVictoria Policein theAustraliantown ofMoe, Victoriathat her 63-year-old father, RSJ, hadrapedher,[1][2]physically abusedher and kept her prisoner in her own home between 1977 and 2005.
Background[edit]
Police first learned about the alleged abuse in 2005, when M first came forward, but could not act because she did not want to co-operate after her father threatened violence against her mother and siblings.
The J family had been known to authorities for more than 30 years at the time the abuse came to light; three of RSJ's six children with his wife had died and others have spent time in state care. The allegations first emerged in a news report that said authorities had failed toinvestigateafter being warned of the abuse years earlier.[3]
During the years of abuse, M gave birth to four of her father's children, each in a major hospital in the state capitalMelbourne.One child, the only girl, died from severe brain and respiratorydevelopmental problemsat eleven weeks old; two of the surviving boys are seriouslyintellectually disabled;and the third has a majorspeech impedimentand social interaction problems. None of the children had a father listed on theirbirth certificate,raising concerns about why questions were not asked at the time. The victim's mother was allegedly unaware of any abuse, despite sharing a house with her daughter, husband, and grandchildren until 2005.
Trial[edit]
RSJ waschargedwith 83sexual abuseoffences by police in June 2008 afterDNA testsshowed he was the father of M's surviving sons, LJ, CJ and NR. M and her sons were taken into the care of the Victorian authorities.
RSJ appeared in court in November 2009, where he pleaded guilty to ten counts ofincest,two counts ofindecent assaultof a girl under the age of 16 and one count ofcommon assault.He also asked for the remaining 70 counts against him to be taken into consideration.
During hissentencingin February 2010,[4]County Court Judge Susan Pullen said: "You defiled your daughter over many years on a regular basis. Your offending involved a gross breach of trust. To describe your treatment of your daughter as appalling is a gross understatement."[5]
RSJ was sentenced to 22 years and five months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 years, and ordered to be placed on thesex offender registryfor the rest of his life. With time in custody taken into account, he will be eligible for parole in February 2027 at age 83, and the sentence will expire in July 2031 when he is 88 years old.[6]
His appeal against the sentence was dismissed on 29 June 2012.[7]
See also[edit]
- List of child abuse cases featuring long-term detention
- Colt clan incest case
- Fritzl case
- Goler clan
References[edit]
- ^Malkin, Bonnie (17 September 2009)."'Australian Josef Fritzl' fathered four children by daughter ".London: Telegraph. Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2013.Retrieved12 February2012.
- ^Rintoul, Stuart (17 September 2009)."Small town recoils in horror at 'Australian Fritzl' incest case".The Australian.Retrieved21 June2015.[dead link]
- ^Simon Lauder (18 September 2009)."Victorian rape allegations echo Fritzl case".Abc.net.au.Retrieved3 April2020.
- ^Farnsworth, Sarah (15 February 2010)."Incest father jailed for 22 years".ABC News.Retrieved21 June2015.
- ^Malkin, Bonnie (15 February 2010)."'Australian Fritzl' sentenced to 22 years in prison for abusing daughter for three decades ".Sydney.Retrieved21 June2015.
- ^"DPP v Grant, Adam Joel (a pseudonym)".Australasian Legal Information Institute.15 February 2010.Retrieved9 March2023.
- ^"RSJ v The Queen".Australasian Legal Information Institute.29 June 2012.Retrieved9 March2023.