Wednesday, 31 January, 2018
Pakenham
/PakenhamBerwickGazette
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Sex predator bail By Cam Lucadou-Wells
You met the family and girls through church - a place where (you’d expect to meet) people who are safe ... - Magistrate Pauline Spencer He had been home-schooled without sex education in a fundamentally religious and unstable family, the lawyer said. As an early adult, Goodwin descended into homelessness, criminality and drug addiction. With treatment, he could overcome his underlying issues just as he had defeated his drug demons, the lawyer said. Magistrate Pauline Spencer said Goodwin’s “serious breach of trust” had a significant impact on the girls. “You met the family and girls through church - a place where (you’d expect to meet) people who are safe and following the teachings of the church. “They were trusting of you. As a result of that, you were taken into the family as a family friend ... and in a position of trust with the children.” Goodwin, who sat with his wife in court, had previously been convicted of seven sexual offences with children while he was a teen minor. As a result, he would have been aware of the gravity and consequences of his offending, Ms Spencer said. A jail term was warranted to clearly denounce Goodwin’s conduct and deter others from similar actions - with supervised parole of up to 12 months for rehabilitation, she said. Goodwin was placed on the state’s sexual offenders register for 15 years. Upon lodging an appeal against the sentence, Goodwin was bailed to a fixed address and on condition he attends psychological treatment. His bail was not opposed by police. Goodwin’s appeal is at the Victorian County Court on 1 March.
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Cardinia Shire's oustanding citizens were recognised in the annual Australia Day awards on Friday. The big winners were, from left, Young Citizen Sally Jensen, Citizen of the Year Malcolm Graham and Senior Citizen Les Jacobs. For more on Australia Day and awards presented across the district, turn to pages 5-9, 11 and 14. 176994
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A repeat sex offender has been bailed as he appeals against a jail term for indecent acts with two early-teen sisters he met at a Pakenham church. Nathan Goodwin, 30, was sentenced to up to two years’ jail after pleading guilty to the charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 29 January. Goodwin also pleaded guilty to sending sexual grooming messages on social media to one of the girls. The children were part of a family that Goodwin befriended at church, the court was told. He had been entrusted and invited into the family home, including a sleepover with his nephew on mattresses on the lounge room floor. In a police interview, a remorseful Goodwin admitted to committing the offences “whenever I had an opportunity”. “It was entertaining so I kept going on,” he told police in regard to one of the indecent acts. “It didn’t seem that bad to me, to be honest. “I fully regret it. I don’t understand why I did it.” In regard to another lewd act, Goodwin said it was “just interesting to see if I could ... if she would let me.” “Does it matter who they’re sexually active with?” he argued. “What’s the difference to scabbing a cigarette off an adult? Both are illegal and both are wrong.” A defence lawyer told the court that Goodwin had good rehabilitation prospects and need not be jailed. A community corrections order would be a stern enough sentence, the lawyer said. Goodwin was at high risk of re-offending but there was “little evidence of paedophilic interest”, according to a psychological expert’s statement. Goodwin’s actions were more of a result of his poor sexual development, the report stated.