Crown case
10 The complainant gave evidence that after the relationship between her mother and the appellant commenced, her bedroom door was removed and replaced with a curtain, and that this remained the position for about four years. She said that at first the appellant would cuddle her all the time and want to kiss her all the time. Then, within weeks he'd start patting her on the bottom and progressing to fondling her, and at other times he'd rub her breasts.
11 The complainant gave evidence that he would sit her on his lap and move her around on his lap, and his penis would become hard and she would feel it through her clothes. This first happened probably within a couple of weeks of him moving in (count 1).
12 The complainant gave evidence that some time later, the appellant came into her room, and the complainant woke up. The appellant said he was looking for a dog, and was crouching. The complainant could see his hands moving around in his lap, and with the benefit of hindsight she knew he was masturbating. The complainant said to the appellant that there was no dog in the room, and the appellant pushed her back down on the bed and put his hand over her mouth and grabbed her breast with his other hand. The complainant heard her mother outside, and the appellant left; and the complainant heard the appellant telling her mother he'd been in her room because she was calling out in her sleep. The complainant went and told her mother that the appellant had said he was looking for a dog and had been touching her. The mother said she was probably dreaming. There was no charge in respect of this episode.
13 The complainant gave evidence that later again she was home from school sick, and her mother was at work, when the appellant came in. He asked how she was, stroked her arm, then stroked down her side, rubbed her bottom, touched her breasts and rubbed her vagina through her pants (count 2). When her mother came home, the complainant told her what had happened. Her mother became angry and asked her when she was going to stop making up nonsense. She also said "it's alright for you because one day you're going to leave home and have a family but I'm not going to have anybody".
14 In 1974 the family was in Tuncurry on a working holiday, staying in a caravan park. The complainant gave evidence that late one afternoon, she came back to the caravan from the amenities block in her nightdress. The appellant was in the caravan and came up behind her and held onto her breasts (count 4). She was trying to push him away, and he turned her around and tried to kiss her, then pushed her onto a fold up bed and came down on top of her, and rubbed her vagina on the bare skin (count 5). Her brother came back towards the caravan, and the appellant went to meet him. The complainant left the caravan crying, pushed past both of them, and came upon her mother. Her mother wanted to know why she was crying, the complainant told her, and her mother said to stop this nonsense.
15 The complainant gave evidence that, also in 1974, she was in the swimming pool at the Busby house with her brother and the appellant, wearing a bikini. Her brother left, and the appellant moved to the ladder to climb from the pool. The appellant grabbed the back of her bikini bottom and pulled it to her ankles and pulled her back into the water. The appellant had his hand between her legs, grabbed her vagina from behind and was moving his hand between her legs (count 3). The incident stopped when the complainant accidentally struck the appellant in the face with her elbow, as she was struggling to get away.
16 The complainant gave evidence that some time later, when she was 12 or 13, she was in the front passenger seat of a water truck driven by the appellant at Badgerys Creek. The appellant pulled out his flaccid penis and testicles from the leg of his shorts, and asked her to touch him and play with him (count 6).
17 The complainant gave evidence that not long after her sister's wedding in August 1977, while her mother was at work, she was in bed and the appellant came in and lay down next to her and was fondling her breasts through her nightdress. He took her hand and put it under his pyjama pants and held it against his penis. He kept telling her he loved her, she was his favourite, and now she was older they should be able to do more things together. She cried and resisted, and the appellant left when there was noise of her mother returning. There was no charge in respect of this incident.
18 The complainant gave evidence that on the birth of K's child in May 1979, her mother flew to Townsville. The complainant went into her room and pulled her desk across the doorway. The appellant tried to get in, pushed the door open, and they argued. The complainant started to leave the room, the appellant grabbed her, they fell on the bed and the appellant was touching her breasts (count 7). She went into her brother J's room upset and crying, and asked J to sleep in his bed.
19 The complainant gave evidence that after the Busby house was sold they travelled in a caravan for a while and things got worse; and she then left home. She also gave evidence that she had seen the appellant's penis numerous times, and noticed it was uncircumcised.
20 The complainant gave evidence of a confrontation with the appellant on 17 March 2007. The complainant went to the Cowra home where the appellant and P were living, and said to the appellant in the presence of P "I need you to for once be a man and admit that you've molested me". The appellant at first demurred, but then said "alright I admit I've touched you".
21 The complainant's sister K gave evidence that after the appellant moved into the Busby house in about 1972, the complainant started coming to sleep with her, and persisted in doing so despite being told not to by her mother.
22 K gave evidence that one afternoon in 1973 or 1974, when their mother was not at home, she was looking for the complainant to play. She went to the master bedroom, the door of which was half closed, and she opened the door. She saw the complainant sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs open and her pants and shorts around one ankle, with the appellant in front of her. He was looking at her genital area, and sort of had his fingers in there. The appellant said the complainant had said she was sore there and he was checking to see if she had a rash. (This evidence had been objected to by the appellant's counsel, on the basis that its prejudicial effect outweighed its probative value, but the trial judge allowed it.)
23 The appellant's wife P gave evidence that she had been in a relationship with the appellant since 1972 and that this relationship was ongoing. They were separated for a short time after 17 March 2007, including the time when she made a statement to police. She was to turn 75 in June 2009 and her memory was not good. The trial judge permitted the Crown to cross-examine her on the basis of her statement to police.
24 P did not give oral evidence supporting complaints by the complainant in the 1970's; but agreed that in her statement to police, she had said she recalled the complainant telling her back in the 1970's that the appellant had been touching her, but she neglected to believe her.
25 As to the confrontation on 17 March 2007, P gave evidence that the complainant was screaming at the appellant "you did it, you did it". In her statement to police she had said that the complainant said "you touched me", and the complainant and the appellant had a yelling match, and the appellant said "Ok I touched you". P confirmed her statement to police that the complainant then said to her "see mum he did touch me, I was telling you the truth all those years back"; and the appellant said "I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to hurt you".
26 The Crown tendered the appellant's ERISP. The appellant denied all specific allegations and denied any inappropriate touching of the complainant. He said the complainant's mother never let her wear a bikini. He said he never wore stubby shorts driving a truck, and he wasn't allowed passengers in the vehicle. As to the confrontation, he said it coincided with the theft of his motor vehicle and he was very upset. There was a lot of screaming, his wife was crying, and although he might have said that he touched the complainant, he was trying to get everything sorted and to calm his wife. He denied touching the complainant inappropriately.