Two men jailed over raping 14yo girl in back of van
Two men who sexually penetrated a child in a van with a mattress in the back and seats removed will serve at least a year in jail.
Clinton Parry Harris, 30, and Sheldon Todd Barron, 25, have been sentenced to prison for raping a 14-year-old girl in the back of a van. The pair had befriended the victim on social media and met her in Geraldton, Western Australia, driving 440 kilometres north to arrange to meet her. Harris had paid for the girl's bus ticket to Perth, but when she missed the bus, he drove 440 kilometres to Geraldton instead.
They smoked cannabis before the trip and the girl consented to kissing and oral sex, but later became reluctant, leading to multiple acts of sexual penetration. Both men believed they had received consent from the victim, who had previously expressed concerns about her father finding out. Judge Lawrence Levy rejected their claims of consent and emphasized her age as a red flag.
Harris was sentenced to two years and eight months, with parole eligibility after 16 months, while Barron received a two-year and two-month sentence, eligible for parole after 13 months. The judge emphasized the profound impact on the victim and her family, commending her bravery in coming forward.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
