'Major victory' for paedophiles as baffling law is passed that could see rape and sexual assault victims thrown into JAIL just for telling their stories
- Victorian sexual assault survivors could face prison time for telling their stories
- A law change in February prevents them from using their real names publicly
- The law is retrospective and applies when an offender has been found guilty
- Breaches can result in up to four months in prison or fines exceeding $3000
- Victims have started a #LetUsSpeak campaign for their right to self-identify
Victorian sexual assault survivors could be jailed for up to four months or face fines exceeding $3000 for telling their stories using their real names.
Changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act were quietly introduced in February, prohibiting victims from identifying themselves publicly if their attacker has been found guilty.
The new 'gag law' applies regardless of the victim's consent, and is irrespective of when they occurred, meaning victims who have lawfully spoken out previously are now censored.
Media outlets who breach the law could also face potential prosecution and fines upwards of $8000.
A new Victorian law prevents sexual assault survivors whose attackers have been found guilty from identifying themselves publicly (stock)
The alteration, which has been described as a 'major victory' for convicted paedophiles and rapists, will affect tens of thousands of survivors who now find themselves silenced.
The only way to regain their right is to obtain a court order, a lengthy process which could cost each victim more than $10,000.
Share this article
'There is no way that I would just have ten thousand dollars sitting around to pay to do this. (I’d) be taking money away from (my) family,' Maggie*, an adult survivor of child rape told news.com.au.
Sexual assault survivors are now fighting for their right to share their stories, with a #LetUsSpeak campaign launching on Wednesday calling on the government to reform the law.
Changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act were quietly introduced in February. Pictured: The Supreme Court of Victoria
Melbourne mother Maggie, 44, tried to take her own life when she was 12, four years after her father began raping her in her bed.
He was arrested five years later, after her older step sister Kate* told police he had been sexually abusing her since she was nine.
He was charged with rape and gross indecency along with multiple counts of bestiality, involving Kate and the family's dog, but they would never be tried in court.
In May 1997, four days before the trial was set to begin, he shot Kate dead at work after tracking her down using a private investigator.
Almost a year later, he pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for the sexual offence charges being dropped.
With his parole eligibility date looming, Maggie decided she was ready to come forward and she reported her own sexual assault experiences to police.
Her father was charged with multiple counts of incest and rape, which he later admitted to and was given a nine-year jail sentence.
However, in March this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal reduced his sentence for the crimes against Maggie and ruled he could serve them concurrently with his murder sentence, leaving him eligible for parole in June 2022.
'There were no sexual assault convictions recorded against him back in the ‘90s, and that meant that if he was paroled he wouldn’t have to register as sex offender or be monitored as one,' Maggie said.
'I’m now a mother of three beautiful children and I wouldn’t want him out in any community. I’m not just scared for my children. I’m scared for all children. I also have to be the voice for my sister too. She never got justice for the sexual abuse she experienced either.'
Maggie contacted Australian media outlets in hope of alerting the public by naming her father and highlighting the lenient sentence given to paedophiles.
It was then she learned a Victorian 'gag' law brought in four weeks earlier made it a crime for the media to publish her name, or her fathers- as it may indirectly identify her.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
