A paedophile branded a jury racist after they found him guilty of raping an schoolgirl in Australia.
Patrick Joseph Hunter was found guilty of raping a child under the age of 10, and indecently dealing with another in the far north of Western Australia.
The trial began on Tuesday in the Broome District Court with the 43-year-old pleading not guilty to four charges of indecent dealing with a child under 13 and one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 13.
However, on Thursday, the jury found him guilty on all five counts.
Both victims involved in the offences, which occurred between April 2019 and October 2020 in a remote village, were aged 10 or under.
Upon hearing the verdict, Hunter began shouting at the jury.
He said: “You’re racist. I’ve got family of my own.
“I hope you all burn in hell… I didn’t do them things, man.”
Prosecutor Nikki Conley told the court that Hunter undressed one of the victims and sexually penetrated her when she was aged between seven and nine.
Patrick Joseph Hunter branded the jury racist after they found him guilty on all five counts
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Ms Conley said: “He put a t-shirt over her face so she wouldn’t scream.”
She added that the child described Hunter touching her “in the knickers part, the part you use to pee”.
The offence of indecent dealing happened when Hunter and the victim were playing a game together.
Discussing evidence given by the child during a police interview, Ms Conley said: “[She] remembers playing a game with sisters and cousins. He pretended to be a monster, his hands were over her bra part.
“Touching the part of her ordinarily used for breastfeeding babies… holding her up like Simba from The Lion King.”
Patrick Joseph Hunter will be sentenced next month
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The court was told that the incident involving the second victim happened at the girl’s birthday with Hunter touching her upper thigh.
He also urged her to “come to the room after”, however she did not.
The other two offences involved Hunter showing his genitals to the victim.
The court saw footage from the child’s police interview, during which she said: “He did something bad to me that I didn’t like… my heart was beating, I was so scared.”
Both victims also gave evidence during the trial via a pre-recorded video link.
Throughout the trial, Fintan Roberts, Hunter’s defence lawyer, attempted to discredit the witnesses.
He claimed there were inconsistencies in the evidence regarding the timeline of events, and one of the victim’s knowledge of certain sexual activities.
However, Ms Conley told the court “the inconsistencies in evidence should not trouble you”.
She added: “When a witness recalls something differently, it’s not because they are lying, it’s because they are human… and that’s especially true of children.”
Judge Linda Petrusa will sentence Hunter next month.
