An NSW mother shared the moving moment that she discovered that her daughters had been sexually abused by a family friend.
Michelle Milthorpe and her two daughters help the #justicehouldthurt campaign that successfully changed laws in NSW in 2023 to make the judicial process less traumatic for survivors of abuse.
She runs for the Southwest NSW seat of Farrer in this year's federal elections as a community supported by the community against deputy liberal leader Sussan Ley.
Mrs. Milthorpe, from Jindera outside Albury, said her world shifted on a normal Sunday morning in October 2013 when her daughter Rose jumped into her bed.
She said that the five -year -old told her twice, “Mummy, I have something to tell,” before “dropping this bomb.”
Rose then innocently described the sexual attack in detail and said she “didn't like it.”
Mrs. Milthorpe, speaking on the podcast of former NSW -Detective Gary Jubelin, Catch Killers, said she would immediately tell her husband and 'vomited'.
“I couldn't talk, and then I told him what she had said, and then she repeated that to him. And it just started with this roller coaster that was really whole, really bad, “she said.
Mother of two Michelle Milthorpe (photo) said her world shifted when her five -year -old daughter 'dropped a bomb' and told her that she had been sexually abused by a family friend
The police were called and a subsequent investigation discovered that the abuse had also hit another of the daughters of Mrs. Milthorpe, Pippa, who was then eight years old.
The oldest daughter Maggie had not been a victim.
Mrs. Milthorpe told the podcast that she heard from one incident in which Pippa had stopped the abuse of her younger sister.
Maggie had been upstairs with the wife of the perpetrator who lunch when she called on her younger sisters to join them.
The man told Pippa to go upstairs and he would stay down with Rose, but instead Pippa demanded that Rose went up.
“What a girl, a little sister protects,” said Mrs. Milthorpe.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was convicted of six counts of aggravated indecent attack.
The Milthorpe family found the judicial process extremely difficult.
Mrs. Milthorpe (photo) helped in finding the #justicehouldnurt campaign and runs for the federal seat of Farer in the federal election
After a three -year delay before the case went to court, the family then had to live in hotels in Sydney for the three -month trial.
Pippa and Rose were again traumatized when, more than once, they met the perpetrator in the Hoffiler.
Mrs. Milthorpe and her husband were not allowed to stay in the Chamber when the sisters were fiercely investigated by lawyers.
Former NSW prime minister Dominic Perrottet rolled out changes in the process in 2023 after their campaign -including allowing children to be able to allow pre -record evidence.
Mr. Perrottet said that the story of the family inspired him to expand a pilot program 'so that no other child ever has to go through what Pippa and Rose have passed through'.
The government has invested $ 64.3 million for four years to roll out the program throughout the state after an independent assessment by the University of NSW, which thought it reduced the stress for children and resulted in better evidence.
In addition to the option to record evidence, the Child Sexual Delices Evidence Program (CSEEP) offers victims of intermediaries to help them during police interviews and saves them the trauma to see their attacker in court.
The CSEEP was rolled out for the first time as a trial in 2016 for two judicial locations – the Sydney Downing Center District Court and the Newcastle court – and their associated police districts of southwestern metropolitan, centrally metropolitan and parts of the northern district.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Children's helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people from 5 to 25 years old)
