An Australian man on Wednesday admitted raping an eight-month-old baby girl and causing her serious injuries in a case the judge described as one of the most shocking of his career.
Charles Malcolm Punch (26) pleaded guilty to sexually penetrating a child under 13 and thereby causing her grievous bodily harm at the Western Australia district court.
Chief Judge Kevin Hammond said the case was one of the most shocking he had seen in his 21 years on the bench. ”No-one can deny this was a shocking crime and it frankly has few parallels in my experience,” he said.
Prosecutor Patti Chong called for Punch to be given the maximum terms of 20 years for rape and 10 years for the grievous bodily harm offence.
She said the child — possibly Australia’s youngest rape victim — had been ”debased, defiled and dehumanised”.
Paediatric surgeon Dr Andrew Barker said the child could have died had she not received prompt medical treatment for her injuries, which could yet result in permanent faecal incontinence.
He warned wounds could reopen if she was ever able to have normal sexual relations and became pregnant.
The court heard the attack occurred in February last year after Punch had spent a day drinking whisky and wine and smoking cannabis at a city park with his then girlfriend, the baby and her mother.
Punch took the baby after her mother left the child in the park during the drinking session.
Two officers later found him in a vacant block of land, lying beside the semi-naked and apparently dead baby.
Punch’s lawyer, Richard Bayly, said his client had suffered psychosis, mental impairment from drugs and head injuries and had lived the life of a nomad since his mother died when he was 14.
”It might be thought he was a disaster waiting to happen,” Bayly said.
The judge deferred sentencing until July 24, calling for a pre-sentencing report and an updated psychological report. – Sapa-AFP