Last year, the girl’s father applied to the criminal injuries compensation board on behalf of his daughter, bringing forward evidence from a psychiatrist about the impact of the incident.
Court documents released this month said the girl changed “dramatically” from being a “very happy, bubbly outgoing girl” into someone who was “more withdrawn, scared, very timid at times and confused with her emotions”.
“She was a lot more guarded, especially around males,” a psychologist told the court.
“She would often wake up in the middle of the night crying and emotional.”
The girl’s dad said she “now uses avoidance to cope, has blocked memories of the offences and does not want to talk about the offences”.
In considering the application for compensation, the assessor of criminal injuries compensation Alice Barter said, “the devastating and long-term impact of child sexual abuse on children is well established”.
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“The traumatic nature of the offending in this case is evidenced by a vulnerable child being approached after leaving a public park and being lured into a stranger’s bedroom where the sexual offences were committed,” she said.
It was noted that the girl had suffered symptoms such as feeling scared, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, feeling sad, appearing withdrawn and unhappy, appearing tearful, crying, frightened and confused.
“I am satisfied the applicant has been significantly psychologically affected by the offences; her symptoms are enduring and considerably impact her life,” Barter said.
“Accordingly, I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities the psychological symptoms suffered by the applicant amount to mental and nervous shock as a consequence of the proved offences.”
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Act states that criminal compensation funds be held in trust for the girl until she turns 18.
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