A Brisbane judge has won fans across the country for forcing a courtroom and a child sex offender to sit in silence for five minutes.
Judge Ryan Haddrick on Thursday dismissed proceedings in the Brisbane District Court where a 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse with a child.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the child’s identity, sexually assaulted the 14-year-old after the pair had dinner and smoked cannabis, a court has heard.
The man’s lawyer, Damien Gates, argued the seriousness of the offense and said “the sexual intercourse lasted five minutes, no more, as he abstained.”
That’s why Judge Haddrick sensationally stopped the proceedings in a powerful display of empathy that has since resonated across the country.
Courier mail reported how the following events developed.
“Sit down for a second, just sit for a second,” Judge Haddrick said.
“Actually, sit for about five minutes from now on,” he said.
“The proposal I am making to you and your client is that for five minutes of sexual conduct with a 14-year-old, the penny should drop before that happens.
“This is too long to continue to engage in sexual intercourse knowing that such behavior is wrong.
“We’re not talking about sexual interactions that cause complaints for seconds.
“We are talking about consistent actions that will cause significant harm to this girl for years to come.”
Mr Gates said the crime was “something that came out of the spirit of the moment, out of poor impulse control” after the teenager “rubbed her waist against (her client), which I could have taken as a kind of invitation”.
Judge Haddrick told him the 14-year-old was incapable of consenting.
“This sexual conduct lasted more than a few seconds, it continued over an extended period of time,” Judge Haddrick told the man.
“We live in an era where we have a very clear understanding, which we did not have before, of the harmful nature of this type of sexual crime, which can remain in the memory and life history of the victim for many years, if not decades.
“It robs a child of their innocence, but also of a lot of things they should take for granted, such as trust in men and an understanding of what is sexually acceptable and what is not.
“The damage just reverberates through the ages, and it’s all because of your immature, immoral and downright selfish behavior in this case.”
A Queensland Courts spokesman told news.com.au Judge Haddrick’s remarks “were delivered ex tempore”, meaning they were not prepared in advance.
Andrew Carpenter, who proudly holds the title of “Australia’s most hated child sex offender”, is a partner at Websters Lawyers and an advocate for victims of sex crimes.
He posted the video on social media over the weekend, which received an overwhelming response, including more than 700 comments.
“This is Acting Judge Ryan Haddrick from the Brisbane District Court,” he said in the video.
“This video basically shows what an absolute legend he is. Claims were told in court this week that a 35-year-old man who raped a 14-year-old girl only thought what he was doing was wrong after five minutes of sexual intercourse.
“What did Judge Haddrick do? He told the court to sit in silence for five minutes. He basically used that to show the criminal that five minutes was long, and in those five minutes not a penny dropped?”
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Carpenter said the moment was impressive for one reason in particular.
“This is not the first time a judge has made a harsh comment about someone, but I think he took a step to really show the seriousness of the offence,” he said.
“This is one of those comments that will forever be etched in the minds of community members because they will feel that the courts will take this seriously when all we hear from the media is that offenders are being given lenient sentences.
“Something like this really shows that the judge actually took into account and immediately rejected the offender’s application.
“It was a message from the court that simply said: If you think five minutes isn’t that long, let’s sit down and see how inconvenient five minutes can be.
“Five minutes would have seemed like an eternity to a victim-survivor. It showed him how much damage a person can do in five minutes.”
Actor and lawyer Madeline West also shared a video praising the judge’s actions.
“The sitting judge, one Ryan Haddrick, who I think deserves a medal, a round of applause or even an Order of Australia, forced his courtroom to sit in silence for five minutes, just to demonstrate how long five minutes really is, how long five minutes really seem,” she said in a Monday morning video.
“He is 35 years old. The victim is 14 years old. Judge Haddrick rightly noted that, given that the victim was 14 years old, the penny should have dropped before the crime actually occurred.
“Finally there is a judge here in Australia who is willing to recognize this crime for what it is and what it looks like.”
In the comments section of the video, hundreds of people praised the former lawyer-turned-judge who had a doctorate in constitutional law.
“More judges like this. Child protection comes first,” one person wrote.
“You are a legend, Judge Ryan Haddrick. You are a champion and supporter. You are the man,” wrote another.
The offender was sentenced to 18 months in prison with six months of actual detention.
He will be eligible for parole in January.
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