Every parent’s worst nightmare: Predator, 38, admits raping Sydney girl, 12, and drugging her with ice in school holiday horror – before she was rescued by police at his granny flat behind his mum and dad’s house
- GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
- Predator Brett James Callaghan admits raping and drugging teenage girl
- Callaghan, 37, led 12-year-old away from a skate park in Sydney’s north-west
- The child was reported missing after failing to meet her parents at Westfield
- Callaghan pleaded guilty to a series of charges at Parramatta Court on Thursday
- He faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment upon sentence at the NSW District Court
Brett John Callaghan faces up to 20 years jail time for the horrific attack on the 12-year-old
A predator has admitted responsibility for a nightmarish assault on a 12-year-old schoolgirl – giving her the drug ice and raping her after luring the child into his car during the school holidays.
Brett James Callaghan, 38, faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated sexual assault and supplying a prohibited drug to a child at a western Sydney court on Thursday.
Callaghan drove the schoolgirl from a Thornleigh park, in the city’s north-west, to his parents’ acreage in Dural about 3.30pm on April 28 last year.
The child was reported missing to police about 5.30pm that day after she failed to meet her parents outside a Westfield shopping centre as they had planned.
The court has been told that the girl’s phone was off at the time of her disappearance.
Meanwhile, a friend she spent much of the day with had left her on her own in the knowledge that she had a second friend coming to meet her.
The 12-year-old girl was found at Callaghan’s granny flat in Dural at the back of his parent’s property
The court has heard the victim was then subjected to a horrendous nine-and-a-half hour ordeal where Callaghan sexually assaulted her and gave her an ice pipe to smoke.
The horrific incident only came to an end when police arrested Callaghan at his granny flat, located behind his parents’ home, just after 1.15am the next day, following an extensive search.
Callaghan appeared before Parramatta Local Court Magistrate Peter Feather via video link on Thursday.
He was dressed in prison greens and cradled his arms, as a lawyer entered pleas on his behalf. ‘Thank you Your Honour, thank you,’ he said.
Five of the 12 charges against Callaghan were withdrawn, including a charge of taking and detaining the girl.
He admitted three further charges on a ‘form one’ basis meaning they will add to the length of the total sentence he serves.
The schoolgirl went missing after attending a park at Thornleigh on April 28
It has taken almost a year to get to this point due to negotiations between prosecutors and his lawyers over the agreed facts of the case.
A police officer told the court last year that the girl was embarrassed and traumatised by her awful ordeal.
‘When I first met her she was traumatised by what had occurred,’ Detective Lauren Seretis said.
‘Since that time she has still been upset and traumatised from the events of that date.’
Her parents had banned her from watching TV as a result, the court was told at the time.
Callaghan has been bail refused since his arrest. His case will come before the District Court for sentencing next month.
Police released images of the offender being taken into custody upon his arrest