Two country footballers have been jailed for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl at a party, with a judge describing their conduct as “abhorrent” and “shameful”.
Toowoomba man Jaiden Fidge, 24, and Riley Smith, 26, of Albury, both pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a child under 16.
Smith was charged with two counts of the offence.
They appeared by video link in the County Court in Geelong today for sentencing, with both men looking straight ahead as Judge Gerard Mullaly recounted the facts of their cases.
The court heard the men had met online through a group with an interest in AFL and that both played football in their respective states — Fidge in Queensland and Smith in New South Wales.
They both attended a party in Victoria’s Surf Coast Shire in February 2024, where they met the victim.
When asked how old she was, she replied that she was 14.
Smith told the victim he was 17.
Sexual assault support lines:Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578Bravehearts: counselling and support for survivors of child sexual abuse: 1800 272 831Child Wise: counselling provider: 1800 991 099
Fidge later came across the victim again and lured her outside and away from the other guests, with Smith joining.
Neither man used a condom as they abused her.
Fidge was later heard boasting to other guests after the assault, with Judge Mullaly describing the comments as “degrading”.
The court heard that after the girl had gone inside, Smith messaged her on Snapchat, requesting she come outside again, where he abused her a second time.
Both men lied to police upon their arrest, but later admitted their crimes.
Forensic samples taken during a medical examination matched their DNA.
Judge Gerard Mullaly told the County Court one of the men made degrading comments while boasting about the assault. (ABC News: Jonathon Kendall)
Judge Mullaly sentenced Fidge to four years and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of three years.
Smith was handed a total effective sentence of five years and 11 months and will not be eligible for parole for three years and 10 months.
Judge Mullaly said the offending had “an element of an abhorrent male bravado” and graded their moral culpability as high.
He said their crimes had “considerable and enduring adverse impacts on the victim and her family”.
But he also took into account that they would experience relative isolation in prison, given neither man had a connection to Victoria.
He also took into account their guilty pleas and their remorse.
Victim suffers nightmares, feels dirty and insecure
In a statement to the court, Judge Mullaly said the victim wrote that she felt dirty, insecure, ashamed and embarrassed and that she had engaged in self-harm after the incident.
“I continuously blame myself for what happened and nothing seems to get better,” she said.
She wrote that she had experienced nightmares and that many things now triggered her, including males around their age and the smell of alcohol.
Her father’s statement to the court was also recounted by the judge.
“When I picked my daughter up that morning, she was in a catatonic state,” he said.
“It was incredibly confronting.”
He said that since that day, he had seen her in that state “many times”.
“I spend much of my time riddled with guilt for failing to keep my daughter safe.”