Pedophile father attacked in court

Sometimes justice HURTS!

A PENSIONER who sexually abused six children, including his daughter and son, has been viciously attacked while sitting in a courtroom dock awaiting sentence.The violent brawl erupted this afternoon in the Brisbane District Court when enraged relatives of the victims stormed the dock after hearing the sordid details of the offences. The 48-year-old man from the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove, who cannot be identified, was repeatedly punched in the head and arms by one man and two women as security guards struggled to break up the fight.

One of the attackers, believed to be the accused's brother and the father of one of the female victims, was escorted from the courtroom. However, he broke free from the security guards' restraint and ran back to the dock for a second attack. He swore and shouted at the accused: "Your day will come, you sicko,'' as he finally left the court.

The three attackers were all banned from attending the rest of the proceedings. The prisoner, whose shirt was ripped during the fracas, looked shaken as proceedings restarted. The court was told he sexually abused six children over a 20-year period between 1985 and 2005. The children included his daughter, who was aged just six when the abuse started, and his son, who was abused for four years from age 10. The court was told he also abused his 11-year-old niece, two young step-daughters and the seven-year-old son of his former partner. Prosecutor Todd Fuller told the court that "the abuse was purely for (the defendant's) own sexual gratification''.

The abuse included oral sex, mutual masturbation, digital penetration and the insertion of wire and other objects into his penis. The offences only came to light in 2005 when his then-partner told police the defendant asked her seven-year-old son to insert wire into his penis while they were at a shopping centre car park. The man initially denied the allegations, saying his partner lied because the relationship had soured. However he was charged after other family members came forward with evidence of abuse.

He pleaded guilty today to 10 charges including six counts of indecent treatment of girls under 16 and three counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child. Defence barrister Craig Chowdhury told the court his client had been sexually and physically abused when he was a child. He told the court his behaviour was continuing "the cycle of abuse'' that was evident in many similar cases. Judge Terry Martin SC has reserved his decision and will sentence the man tomorrow.