Timothy James Stewart is now serving a 32 year sentence after being convicted of a multitude of 'vile' sex offences against children.
Timothy James Stewart is now serving a 32 year sentence after being convicted of a multitude of 'vile' sex offences against children.
A mum who baffled doctors with her and her 12-year-old daughter's unexplainable tiredness has revealed her horror at discovering the sinister reason why they were both so lethargic — her partner was drugging them both so he could sexually assault her daughter.
Sydney woman Rachel, whose identity has been protected by the court, was with Timothy James Stewart for several years before the "monster" was unmasked.
The 45-year-old was sentenced to 32 years behind bars for grooming and abusing the girl, from ages 12-15 in November 2017 — and now Rachel is sharing the true torment she and her daughter endured.
Explaining they'd both been extremely tired before the truth came out, Rachel said she remembers the moment everything clicked, in a column she wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Stewart had been complaining about her daughter no longer calling him "Dad" anymore and when Rachel quizzed her as to why, she told her: "You don't know him. You have no idea who he really is."
"The minute she said it, I knew. A pit opened up in my stomach. I told him, 'Everything she says, points to you being inappropriate with her'."
Busted after years of abuse, the paedophile fled their home in the Blue Mountains — but was arrested just hours later.
However it took four years for the case to come to a conclusion, with Stewart being sentenced to serve at least 24 years behind bars before he's eligible for parole.
"This type of offending is simply incomprehensible," Sydney District Court Judge Paul Conlon said when sentencing Stewart at the time.
Stewart, pleaded guilty to 99 charges relating to the abuse and a jury later found him guilty of a further 28 offences, including drugging the girl and her mother, rape and sexual assault as well as indecent assault of her younger sister too.
Convicted paedophile Timothy James Stewart used to drug his partner Rachel so he could rape and abuse her 12-year-old daughter.
The court heard Rachel and her eldest daughter were drugged up to three times a week for four years by Stewart who crushed Travacalm in her soft drink and wine.
Thankfully, despite beginning to target Rachel's youngest daughter, whose age is undisclosed, his abuse was uncovered before he'd had a chance to move onto her.
Stewart went to great lengths to hide his "vile" behaviour, destroying letters the youngest daughter had written to raise the alarm and secretly storing explicit images on an iPhone app which looked like a calculator.
But memory cards devoted to his paedophilic acts eventually proved to be the condemning evidence that drew a guilty verdict in late 2017.
However the delays to the court case caused the family additional stress and as a result, Rachel is supporting a campaign to build a South-West Sydney Justice Precinct in an effort to streamline the entire system.
"They say justice delayed is justice denied," she said. "I was denied justice for far too long because of the lack of court facilities in south-western Sydney. It need not keep happening."
Stewart is now in a maximum-security prison where he feared he would become a target because of the crimes he committed.
Once his desperate plea to have his identity suppressed was denied by a judge, distressing details of his horrendous crimes were revealed, including claiming in his trial the girl had initiated sex with him and they were "like a married couple".
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. • Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault.
Where to go for help or more information:
• NZ Police • Help Auckland 24/7 helpline 09 623 1700 • Rape Prevention Education • Wellington Help 24/7 crisisline 04 801 6655, push 0 • Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse • Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz • Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz • Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
