Child
sex offender has sentence halved
By Christine Flatley
A man who sexually abused his six-year-old stepson has had
his four-year jail sentence cut in half because he confessed to the crime.
In a written judgment released on Friday, the Court of
Appeal in
The man, who cannot be named, had his four-year-sentence cut
by half.
The amount of actual time he will serve behind bars before
he can apply for parole was reduced from one year to eight months.
The court ruled the sentence, handed down in the Brisbane
District Court in June, was excessive when compared to similar cases because
this man's crimes against the child had not involved penetration.
The court also ruled the man's decision to volunteer
information about his crime warranted "special leniency".