A sexual predator described by one of his victims as a ‘‘monster underneath a charismatic exterior’’ could soon be released back into the Illawarra community, sending the young people he preyed upon into a heightened state of fear.
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Three years have gone by in the blink of an eye for two teenage boys and one young man who fell victim to child molester James Cameron Wood.
They had the courage to stand up in court and reveal intimate details of their pain and trauma, yet the man who changed their lives forever is up for parole consideration next month and could soon be free.
There’s a good chance his debt to society will have been paid while the three victims continue serving their ‘‘life sentence’’.
Wood, who lived in Kiama Downs at the time of his arrest, confessed in 2011 to sexually assaulting the three males, all aged under 16 at the time.
Though his two most serious charges carried maximum terms of 20 years in jail and a non-parole period of 10 years, his sentences were combined, meaning Wood could serve a minimum non-parole period of three years and nine months. His earliest release date is August 22.
The mother of one of the boys, who is still a minor, says she is furious the release date could be upon her family so soon and is petrified about what the future holds.
‘‘His criminal actions that he was arrested and convicted for span years, it’s not just a one-time offence,’’ the South Coast woman said.
‘‘This was not car stealing or shoplifting offences. This was aggravated sexual assault of a minor and indecent assault of a minor that was premeditated and executed to his pleasure several times over several years.’’
The mother of two says no sentence could ever be sufficient unless it is life when ‘‘the victims of sexual abuse live with the repercussions forever and so do the families’’.
Although the three families understand Wood will one day be released into society, they want him to serve his maximum sentence of 7 years.
‘‘Little consideration should be given to how well he behaved in the controlled environment of jail,’’ the Illawarra mum said.
‘‘This man that we loved and trusted into our lives was grooming all of us to believe him to be someone he wasn’t.’’
The mothers of two of the victims revealed their husbands had been childhood friends with Wood – who then naturally became a trusted part of their family lives. The parents are now riddled with guilt and fury, knowing the man they trusted had access to their children.
During sentencing the court heard 38-year-old Wood had crept into one of the boys’ bedrooms when he was just 12 years old and started touching him when he was asleep. A few years later there was another incident at a caravan park in Merry Beach.
That victim, now aged 25, says he felt like he had a disease eating away at him from the inside since the abuse. He blames himself that Wood went on to molest the two other boys several years later.
Today he feels an overwhelming sense of duty to protect all children everywhere from the man who robbed him of a normal life.
‘‘I can’t move on, I can’t go overseas because if this man comes out I need to be here, to speak out to protect them,’’ he told the Mercury this week.
‘‘I feel let down by the system. I thought I would get up in court, like on TV and justice would be served. But it wasn’t.
‘‘What if he walks into a shop where I work, or I pass him in the street? I don’t know what I would do,’’ he said.
He has always been driven by the hope that speaking out will give other victims a voice.
‘‘If anyone else has been assaulted I would really hope they feel they can come forward,’’ he said.
The man and the two mums will be writing submissions to the State Parole Authority in the hope that Wood will be made to serve out his maximum custodial sentence.
‘‘Please be prepared for a massive ‘I told you so’ if you grant parole because it will only be a matter of time,’’ one of the mums said.
‘‘A name on a sex offenders list is little assurance when the general public have no access to that information on a day-to-day basis.
‘‘Our greatest fear is that he will reoffend, blend back into life and meet new families who will be seduced by his charismatic persona. Just like all of us who have known him for a long, long time, they will trust him and invite him into their lives with no knowledge of his past.’’
The NSW State Parole Authority confirmed Wood’s victims had been invited to present written submissions for consideration about his possible release.
The Parole Authority said it was required to commence consideration in June.
■Excerpt from a victim impact statement of an 11-year-old boy sexually assaulted by James Cameron Wood presented to Nowra District Court on November 23, 2011. The boy continues to receive weekly counselling and since the court case has revealed he doesn’t remember a time he ever wasn’t abused by Wood.
I struggled with how you targeted me and how you took advantage of my mum and dad’s trust and friendship. I now believe that you are not a nice person because you also took advantage of my vulnerability, my personality and my trust for other people.
You threatened me; you made me believe that I was useless and that people would not believe me. Because of this I felt I had no voice to tell. You made me think that if I told, I would get into trouble and that mum and dad would not believe me.
You lied to me, you lied to mum and dad, and you lied to yourself.
You were supposed to love and protect me, but you chose to take advantage of me. Because of what you did to me, you will no longer be in my life. You have caused me grief and great despair and made me feel that my life was depressing and over.
My angry thoughts are: ‘‘You should rot in hell; you should pay for what you did. You are not a nice person and you cannot be trusted!’’ I feel sick to the bone at what you did.
You made me scared of going places. You made me fearful that if I told that something would happen to my mum and dad and me. I was scared that you were going to violently hurt me. You have hurt me, you have hurt my family, and you have hurt our family friends.
I do not think that I can ever forgive you for the damage and hurt that you have caused. I cannot tell you how angry I really am. I now believe that you are a big harm to society.
But most of all I know that I have a family who love and care for me.
Take responsibility.