Family First: Family First calls for appeal against lenient sex crime sentence
Michael Barnett OAM
Family First calls for appeal against lenient sex crime sentence
MEDIA RELEASE
Family First Victorian Upper House candidates Bernie Finn and Jane Foreman have today called on the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal against the lenient sentence handed down to convicted child sex offender Hilary Maloney.
Maloney, born male and now identifying as a woman, was sentenced to just 2½ years’ jail after being found guilty of appalling crimes, including sexually abusing his five-year-old daughter and producing videos and images of the abuse at the request of an American paedophile. The maximum penalty for such crimes is 25 years, with a standard sentence of 10 years.
“This sentence is a disgrace and an insult to every Victorian who believes in justice,” Mr Finn said. “Two and a half years for destroying the innocence of a little girl is a slap in the face to victims and their families. It does not meet community expectations in any way, shape or form.”
Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis accepted that Maloney’s gender transition reduced his “moral culpability,” a move that has rightly outraged women’s groups and community advocates.
“Victorians are horrified that a judge could cite gender identity as a factor in lessening responsibility for one of the most heinous crimes imaginable,” Ms Foreman said. “This warped ideology is undermining justice, leaving victims sidelined and the community unsafe.”
Family First is demanding the DPP act swiftly to appeal the sentence, restore faith in the justice system, and deliver a penalty that reflects both the gravity of the crime and the community’s legitimate expectations.
“The law must send a strong signal that child sexual abuse will be met with the harshest possible penalties,” Mr Finn said. “Anything less is a betrayal of children and their right to protection.”
Ms Foreman added: “The message from Family First is simple: the rights of victims and the safety of the community must always come before the ideology of judges or politicians. The DPP must appeal this sentence.”