The mother of an autistic teenage boy who sexually abused his five-year-old half-sister with one of his mum's sex toys has revealed in court the terrible impact of her son's actions on their family.
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The woman told Wollongong District Court her daughter's disclosure of abuse at the hands of her 16-year-old brother in November 2017 changed all their lives dramatically.
"They moved away from the area, the victim had trouble adjusting to school and is now home-schooled," Judge Andrew Haesler said in recounting the woman's evidence during sentencing proceedings held in closed court.
"She is very clingy and easily emotionally distressed, when she is overwhelmed she can become physically aggressive.
"She has lost friends, but more particularly, her big brother. She wants to see him when she is older but does not want him to babysit her.
"Her mother fears the repercussions of what occurred will last a lifetime."
Court documents said the teen, who has been given the pseudonym 'John', would babysit his sister 'Jane' at times during late 2017 while their mother took on shift work.
However, on November 26 Jane asked her mother not to go to work, then went on to tell her John had put a "pink thing" in her "bum".
The mother immediately recognised the description as a pink vibrator she kept in a cupboard in her bedroom, but upon looking, found it was missing.
Jane was interviewed by child abuse squad detectives, telling them the "pink thing" was "big", that it "turns on" and that it felt "bumpy".
She said she was in her brother's bedroom minus her pants and underwear when John put the device in his bottom, then in hers and that it "hurt".
John was charged with having sexual intercourse with a child under 10. He denied the allegations however was found guilty by a jury after a short trial.
John was convicted and sentenced to a maximum 3 years' jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months.
In his judgement, Judge Haesler said John's crime was a very serious one.
"He was trusted to look after his sister; she was in their home where she was entitled to feel and be safe," he said.
"The crime was opportunistic but John was trusted to care for and protect his sister - he did the exact opposite - he hurt her."
The court heard John has a number of diagnosed mental conditions including autism, ADHD and PTSD but was under the care of a psychologist and being treated for trauma and depression.
Corrections staff have recommended John, now 18, serve his entire sentence in juvenile prison because of his vulnerability.
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