Father accused of sexually abusing ex-wife and his three children

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual abuse.

A father accused of sexually abusing both his ex-wife and their three children was allegedly stabbed in the leg by his son when the boy thought he was going to be assaulted again.

The allegations are historical in nature and allegedly took place during the 2010s.

At one stage, it is alleged the man dragged his son from his bed when he was eight or nine years old and raped him.

A week later, the boy thought his father was allegedly going to assault him again due to the way he was speaking to him, so he ran and grabbed a knife from a drawer and stabbed him twice in the thigh.

“If you try and do that again, it is not going to be fun for you,” the boy said he told him.

He didn’t think he cut the skin of his father, who allegedly said, “All right, all right,” and the incident ended.

Among the other allegations, the man is also alleged to have orally raped another child when they aged about 11 or 12, as well as repeatedly inappropriately touching the body of a third when they were about the same age.

He is also accused of raping his ex-wife about 20 times.

During the alleged abuse, he allegedly threatened his family members, making comments like, “If you tell anyone, I will hurt you” or, “Don’t tell anyone, or I will kill you”.

He was arrested and handed numerous charges before he applied for bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday (30 November), which was opposed by the prosecution.

Defence lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith of Kamy Saeedi Law said there were several inconsistencies between what the mother and her children alleged.

He said the allegations were “somewhat dated” and that it had been over a year since his client had last contacted his children.

Mr Kukulies-Smith said his client would plead not guilty and denied all the allegations.

The prosecutor said she was concerned about the alleged use of violence against the children during the sexual assaults, claiming their father had a propensity for violence.

She argued if he did receive bail, there was a chance of him attempting to engage in “retribution”.

Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker ultimately thought the prosecutor’s concerns were real, but also that bail conditions could address them and there was nothing to suggest that the man would not comply with them.

She granted bail on conditions including he not be alone with a person under the age of 16, then also suppressed publication of his name in order to protect the complainants.

The matter returns to court next year.

The charges involving the man’s children are one count of incest with a person aged under 10, one count of incest with a person under 16, three counts of committing an act of indecency on a person aged under 10 and three counts of committing an act of indecency on a person aged under 16.

Regarding his ex-wife, he was charged with five counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact 1800RESPECT, which is the national domestic and sexual violence support service by calling 1800 737 732 or by visiting www.1800respect.org.au.