State of New South Wales v Biggers
[2023] NSWSC 790
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Supreme Court of NSW
Decision date
2023-07-03
Before
Lonergan J, Button J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (13 paragraphs)
JUDGMENT
- By way of a Further Amended Summons filed in court on 3 July 2023, the State of New South Wales sought final orders for an extended supervision order ("ESO") against the defendant Mr Biggers pursuant to ss 5B and 9(1)(a) of the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) ("the Act") for a period of three years and for an order pursuant to s 11 of the Act that Mr Biggers comply with conditions as set out in the Schedule A to the Further Amended Summons.
- The defendant did not oppose the making of an order nor the term sought. Nonetheless, it remains a matter for the Court to determine whether an ESO should be made, and if so, the length of that order and the conditions to be imposed. With respect to this last matter, although the conditions were largely agreed, the defendant took issue with some of the conditions sought by the plaintiff.
- On 14 April 2023, Button J made an Interim Supervision Order ("ISO") for a period on 28 days: State of New South Wales v Biggers (Preliminary) [2023] NSWSC 367 ("the preliminary judgment"). The ISO was extended, pending final hearing, to 9 July 2023. Having concluded that an ISO should be made, his Honour made orders pursuant to s 7(4) of the Act for the appointment of a qualified psychiatrist and registered psychologist to conduct separate psychiatric and psychological examinations of the defendant, and to furnish reports to the Court. Dr Dayalan, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, and Dr Youssef, forensic psychologist furnished reports dated 9 June and 12 June 2023, respectively.
- The defendant's background and history of offending is set out in [1] to [12] of the preliminary judgment: "[1] Mr Philip Peter Biggers (the defendant) was born in March 1977 and has therefore just turned 46. An Aboriginal man, he grew up in circumstances of great deprivation and hardship, as follows. He was one of many siblings. His parents separated when he was five years of age. At one stage he suffered the horrific trauma of seeing the consequences of his father setting himself on fire. The defendant alleges that he suffered very serious offending as a child, which need not be particularised here, an allegation that I accept on balance. He lived on the streets on occasion from an early age. He was permanently expelled from school after an act of violence against the principal. I have no doubt that all of those experiences have damaged the defendant psychologically, and play at the least an indirect role in all that has gone wrong in his life since. [2] After leaving school, he has been employed in various roles over the years. He also enjoyed a number of intimate relationships. Having said that, as of today the defendant is very largely cut off from the world outside of prisons, in which he has been continuously detained since August 2016. [3] To expand on that: the defendant has been convicted on three occasions of sexual offending against five females, most of them under 16, and all of them very young. [4] In 1998, in the District Court of New South Wales, Judge Garling placed him on a bond for having committed two aggravated indecent assaults upon two separate female victims. Both were 11 years of age. The first offence was constituted by the defendant rubbing the first victim's genital area, through her clothing initially, and then with the victim's underwear removed. The second offence was of a similar nature: the defendant rubbed the second victim's genital area through her clothing. Without going into detail (in order to protect their anonymity), they were close to him by way of relationships and [redacted]. At the time of the offending, the defendant was 19 years of age. The defendant pleaded guilty to these offences. The bond was breached by subsequent non-sexual offending, but not called up. [5] In 2002, the defendant committed further sexual offending against a girl aged between 14 years and 16 years, in that he had penile/vaginal sexual intercourse with her on three occasions. The defendant was known to the victim's family, as he had been working on trawlers in the area at the time of the offending. He was not convicted of the offences until many years later, in 2013. The facts, in a nutshell, were that the defendant had contacted the victim and led her to meet him at a trawler on which he had been working in late April or early May 2002. When she arrived, he told the victim he loved her, and they proceeded to have penile/vaginal intercourse. In August 2002, the defendant engaged in oral intercourse with the victim whilst visiting her home and, by way of context, had penile/vaginal intercourse with her on many occasions. At the time of the offending, the victim was 14 years of age, and the defendant was in his mid-20s. [6] The defendant pleaded guilty to these offences, though it seems that now, twenty years after the offending and ten years after the convictions, he disputes some aspects of the agreed facts that were placed before the Court. Judge Wells SC imposed a head sentence of imprisonment for three years, with a non-parole period of one year six months. The defendant entered custody in August 2012, and was released from prison on parole in June 2014. [7] As a result of these convictions, he was placed on the Child Protection Register, and subject to the requirements of the related Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW) (the CPORA). In fact, the defendant breached that act on a number of occasions. That was chiefly by way of having contact with children when not permitted to do so, and keeping that contact secret from the authorities. As a result, he was returned to custody by way of a head sentence of imprisonment for one year, with a non-parole period of nine months. He was imprisoned in April 2016, and - perhaps through some backdating - was released three months later, in July 2016. [8] One month later, he was incarcerated again, and has been in custody ever since. That is because he was found guilty by Judge Flannery SC at the conclusion of a judge alone trial of two sexual offences against two females who were above, but close to, the age of consent. [9] The first offence was indecent assault by way of touching one victim on the breast. At the time, she was aged 17 years and 9 months. The second victim was aged 16 years 11 months and intellectually developmentally delayed. The trial judge was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant had penile/vaginal sexual intercourse with the second victim without her consent. At the time, the defendant was 39 years old. Judge Flannery remarked that "specific deterrence and the protection of the community need to be given prominence…having regard to the offender's lack of insight". [10] An appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal was subsequently dismissed: Biggers v R [2020] NSWCCA 22. In the leading judgment, McCallum JA (as her Honour then was) emphasised the defendant's persistent attempts to coerce the victim into sexual intercourse: "Whether or not the applicant was clever or tricky, in my assessment he was highly manipulative. With respect, the judge's acceptance of that submission overlooked the persistence of his overtures, his position of authority over her and the way in which he was working in concert with the co-accused, who being the applicant's girlfriend, might be expected to have made [the victim] feel safe from anything untoward happening while she was there. The finding also overlooked the vulnerability and susceptibility of teenagers generally and this child in particular, in the circumstances in which she found herself": at [133]. [11] The defendant firmly denies all aspects of the first offence. As for the second, he accepts that sexual intercourse took place between the two of them, and that his actions towards the second victim were "morally lacking". But he firmly denies that the second victim was not consenting, to his knowledge (as the latter concept is broadly defined by statue). [12] Other aspects of the background of the defendant need only be referred to briefly. He had a problem with prohibited drugs years ago, but it seems to have receded. The defendant was diagnosed with depression about 10 years ago, and it seems that in 2010 he attempted suicide."