20 Oct 2015

Sisters lose legal bid to name abuser

8:36 pm on 20 October 2015

Two sisters have lost their legal case to name the man who sexually abused them as children.

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The man was convicted 20 years ago of sex crimes against Karen Beaumont and Anne-Marie Forsyth.

The pair successfully argued last year to have automatic suppression on their own names lifted, and said the man should also lose his suppression as it was only ever to protect their identities, not his.

In a High Court decision released today, Justice Cameron Mander said the trial court made a mistake when it did not reconsider the man's temporary name suppression when he was found guilty.

But Justice Mander said lifting that suppression after more than 20 years - when the man had served jail time and been fully rehabilitated - would be a disproportionate action.