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Father figure abused ‘trust’ to maintain sexual relationship with child: court

Duncan MurrayNCA NewsWire
Colin Geoffrey Rose will serve at least nine years in prison for maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.
Camera IconColin Geoffrey Rose will serve at least nine years in prison for maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child. Credit: News Corp Australia

A man who maintained a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl was like a “father” to his victim, a court has heard.

Colin Rose was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.

The court heard the now 75-year-old had sex with victim an “indeterminate” number of times when she was aged between 12 and 14 and he was between 33 and 35.

Prior to being charged, Mr Rose was a prominent fixture of the Grafton Speedway and ran a motor mechanic business servicing the small northern NSW community for decades.

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Grafton man Colin Rose has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.
Camera IconGrafton man Colin Rose has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child. Credit: News Corp Australia

When the girl was 11, her parents divorced and her mother became close friends with Mr Rose’s wife.

Beginning in early 1980, Mr Rose would take the teenager on camping trips along with her brother and his own son, during which he would provide the children with alcohol, the court heard.

During this time, the girl said she trusted Mr Rose, describing him as a “father figure” and saying she “felt comfortable” in his presence.

She gave evidence in the trial that Mr Rose began having sex with her at a time before she knew what it was and progressed to doing so regularly for a period of up to two years.

“He just helped himself in; come to my bed, have sex with me and leave,” she told the court.

Mr Rose would have sex with her during their camping trips, at her home after he had been drinking and on one occasion at Grafton Speedway under the stands.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Robert Sutherland said Mr Rose had abused his role as a family friend to gain access to his victim.

“He was frequently trusted with the care of the child. He took advantage of her disrupted family life to place himself in a position of trust,” he said.

Watching from prison via videolink, Mr Rose held his head in his hands at times as details of his offences were read to the court.

During the trial, he had asserted that sex between him and the girl took place only on one occasion and that she had been the more “aggressive” instigator.

Judge Sutherland noted that the victim had shown “considerable resilience and bravery” in testifying about her experience and reading her own statement aloud.

She recounted having been left with a difficulty trusting people and a sense that her childhood had been stolen from her.

“My childhood died the day you began your abuse. I mourn the loss of my childhood every day,” she told the court during trial.

Mr Rose will be eligible for parole in May, 2031.

Originally published as Father figure abused ‘trust’ to maintain sexual relationship with child: court

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