JUSTICE in the eyes of the law can often fall short of the expectations of the victim. In the case of one Tamworth family these expectations were not upheld.
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Last week at the Castlereagh District Court, Ray Truscott, 72, was found guilty of the sexual assault of two young boys. This crime elicited a three year suspended sentence and a good behaviour bond.
Truscott was the postmaster at Berowra and 25 years ago he lured an 11-year-old boy to the post office on the pretext of interviewing him for odd jobs around the office.
The boy, now aged 35 and whose name the court suppressed, and his mother moved to Tamworth more than 12 years ago. It was from Tamworth, two years ago the young man contacted the annual national sexual assault helpline, Operation Paradox, which resulted in an admission from Truscott and the sentence.
Unbeknown to the young
victim a call by a Melbourne man with a similar complaint
set into motion an 18-month
investigation.
According to the victim's mother detectives pieced together the case leads so thoroughly that Truscott admitted his
complicity.
Anne (to ensure the young man's identity is suppressed this is not her real name) was horrified at the apparent leniency of the sentence.
She told The Leader that after the sentencing hearing she approached Truscott outside the court and uttered one vitriolic sentence to him.
"You've got 14 grandchildren but my boy will never have any, you mongrel," Anne spat at Truscott.
Truscott and his wife and solicitor tried to threaten Anne with bluster, she said, but having delivered her piece she walked away.
The Tamworth man is still traumatised by Truscott assaulting him. At 16 he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic.
According to Anne, when her son was most ill, he would cry out "the devil is raping me, the devil is raping me".
She said doctor's and medical analysis agreed that her son's schizophrenia was the result of the emotional and psychological trauma of his sexual assault.
"I have this beautiful six foot four son who wouldn't hurt a soul except for himself. His life is ruined."
An unnamed detective who worked on the investigation said both Anne and her son attended the sentencing. He believed their attendance would assist in a form of closure of this dark
chapter.
The victim has now left home and lives in an inner Sydney suburb. He relies on medication to keep his life on track.
Truscott ran a local youth club, taking children on camping trips. He was also an elder in his local Uniting Church
congregation.
The Berowra postmaster's betrayal of trust, which shattered the lives of these two boys, lingers on.