A couple who used a 13-year-old schoolgirl for pornography now live in the same suburb as their victim.
The girl’s distraught mother made the discovery when she saw the woman involved in the indecent assault get into her car at Tenambit shopping centre.
The mother followed the car and was shocked to see the woman go into a house three streets away from the victim’s home.
Since then the mother has tried relentlessly to have the pedophiles, who were jailed for offences against the young girl, moved
out of the suburb and away from her family.
“My daughter is now 20 and what that couple did to her has badly affected her,” the mother said.
“None of us want them living nearby again. I have called police on several occasions but I was originally told by one officer that this couple had a right to live a normal life.
“I was disgusted and hung up. I also called the Ombudsman, probation board and the detective in charge of the case but I have reached a dead end.”
The mother believes the couple has lived at Tenambit for the past 12 to 18 months after serving time in prison.
“I contacted the detective who handled the case and when I asked him about where the man was living, he confirmed it was Tenambit,” she said.
“My daughter is terrified about
running into these people. It has caused her so much distress,” she said.
“She is shocked and back on medication because of this. I am so proud of her and how she has handled what
happened to her and she has been getting on with her life as best she can.”
The mother is pleading with the community to support her efforts to have the pedophiles moved out of her suburb.
“I really don’t think they should be allowed to live near their victim.
“I feel like I always have to look out for them. We have apprehended violence orders in place to stop them coming close to my daughter.
“My biggest fear is they will approach her or watch her because they both know where we live. We have been at the same house for 21 years.
“I believe this couple will reoffend and the public has the right to know they are living 800m away from Tenambit Public School and there are young children all around them. “I would hate to see any other child and their family go through this. “The woman involved has never shown any remorse for what she did to my daughter.
“It is not right how they have come out of prison to have a happy, normal life with a new baby and jobs.
“My daughter has been tormented and is petrified that someone is watching her.”
Robert James Weston, formerly of Morpeth Road, East Maitland, and Sharon Mary Pearson, formerly of Sempill Street, Maitland were jailed on several charges including indecent assault with a girl under 14 and using a child for pornography.
On July 1 2004, Weston was sentenced to three years and three months while Pearson received a two-year sentence. They pleaded guilty to committing five acts of indecency with a juvenile, six counts of aggravated indecent assault and one count each of using a child under 14 for pornography.
Weston and Pearson were known to the victim’s family and had been trusted by them. Maitland detectives took
possession of pornographic pictures involving the schoolgirl and the two adults. Rolls of film had been given to a Jesmond retail outlet for processing and the pictures were handed over to police.
Detectives were able to track down the girl in the photographs and arrested Weston and Pearson after persistent police work paid off.
Detective Senior Constable Don Brown told the Mercury in 2004 that the couple were predators who groomed their young victim for pornographic purposes. Judge English sentenced the couple in Sydney and said Weston had committed “vile and abhorrent acts” on the young girl and such offences on children, especially by people in positions of trust, must be punished.
Robert James Weston is listed on the MAKO online Australian sex offenders website which offers free information to the public. The site said Weston pleaded guilty to using a girl for pornographic purposes and committing acts of aggravated indecent assault and acts of indecency in East Maitland District Court in March 2004. It also names Sharon Mary Pearson as his co-offender.
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