Three men have been found guilty of gang raping a 16-year-old girl and filming it on a GoPro in Sydney‘s West.
The footage was played to the jury and contained comments allegedly made by the young men including “are you ready for the next one” and “just bend her over the bed”. At one point during the 16-minute footage, the GoPro panned around the room and captured men watching and laughing.
Kurt Stevenson, 26, Andrew Waters, 24, and Tristan Carlyle-Watson, 26, were found guilty this morning of guilty of aggravated sexual assault in company by a Downing Centre District Court jury.
Shockingly police unearthed the footage by accident when the GoPro was seized by police in a separate operation targeting graffiti artists.
The girl did not report the assaults at the time.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans from the Child Abuse Squad made the following statement after the arrests:
“These are predominantly adult males in their mid-20s and they’re filming a matter like this on a very young … (and) very slight-framed girl,” said Inspector Yeomans.
“These adult males are quite large men – and some of these men are married with children.
“It was quite obvious to investigators when viewing this footage that the child was either unconscious or semi-conscious during these assaults.
“There were a number of reasons why she didn’t report the matter – her lack of memory at the time, also her fear of any reprisal.”
If you, or someone you know is struggling, know that you’re not alone. Contact beyond blue on 1300 224 636 for a free, confidential chat or visit their website for more information.