A 71 year old former pathology practice manager sexually assaulted a child under the pretence that he was carrying out medical examinations.
The Launceston man’s behaviour has been described as “predatory” and his abuse as “repulsive”. The man appeared in the Supreme Court where he pleaded guilty to maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person.
He was subsequently sentenced to 4 years in prison after the court heard about the assaults which happened between 1983 and 1989 in Launceston, when the man was supposedly carrying out medical examinations.
The court was told how the victim was sexually assaulted on a number of occasions between the ages of 10 and 16.
Justice Shan Tennent described the defendant’s behaviour as predatory and highlighted that he had not shown any remorse over what he had done.
She also took into consideration that the victim battled for many years to cope with what had happened and there was a “significant” impact on the victim.
The perpetrator was placed on the sex offenders register and will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 2 years in prison.
The sentence was welcomed by the victim, who through a spokesperson stated:
“The victim wishes to acknowledge the utterly repulsive nature of John Millwood’s sexual abuse and the deep, deep breach of trust,”
“It has had a devastating impact on every facet of his life. It is hard to imagine a more abhorrent breach of trust.”
“John Millwood is now a convicted paedophile and we hope this will encourage other victims to come forward.
“While it is not an easy step to report this crime, it is enormously vindicating, life affirming and empowering to see justice done.”
Conducting police checks on employees and volunteers, especially those working with children is an important step in avoiding incidents like this one. Although there is no sure way of stopping these types of assaults, hiring someone with a criminal history or on the sexual offenders register, as this perpetrator is, will put your customers/patients at risk.
The wrong choice in the healthcare industry can have severe implications as the case above proves. Those working in the medical field are privy to personal information and patient’s are often in a vulnerable position, especially if they are children, so hiring someone with a criminal history is something you’ll want to avoid. Police checks can be completed quickly and conveniently for all potential employees and volunteers, entirely online to avoid incidents like this.
