A paedophile in Australia has been spared a jail sentence after admitting to raping and abusing young girls.
The man from Dubbo, who can only be named as 'TM', was granted leniency for reasons including that his business needed him and he'd never taken sex education classes.
According to The Daily Mail, the 55-year-old pleaded guilty to 10 counts of historic child sex crimes on two girls who were 8 and 10 years old when the abuse began.
TM also had access to young girls in the church group he belonged to.
His crimes carried a maximum sentence of 54 years imprisonment, but District Court Judge John North imposed a suspended sentence of two years.
The Judge did not imprison TM for reasons including that he needed to run his business, he didn't take sex education at school, he could be put at risk in prison, has health issues and has trouble sleeping.
"As a farmer grazier I accept he is integral to the continuation of the business and that his properties cannot operate effectively without him," Judge North said according to The Daily Telegraph.
He said that the man was "naive" and "totally inexperienced" because his mother didn't let him attend sex education classes at school. "Therefore a significant age gap is not quite as important," the Judge said.
He also said the 55-year-old would be vulnerable to abuse in prison given his age, and he also suffered from health conditions that would be difficult to manage in prison including diabetes type 2, hypercholesterolemia and chronic kidney disease.
The man had also had trouble sleeping, the Judge noted according to The Daily Mail.
"His preoccupation with these unresolved matters has heavily distracted from sleep and his ability to function effectively."
New South Wales Attorney-General Mark Speakman said laws due to be in place in 2018 will end suspended sentences such as the one given to TM.
"I share longstanding community concerns about lenient sentences for abhorrent child sex abuse offences," he said.
Newshub.
