A member of the incestuous Colt clan has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting his alleged daughter at a rundown NSW bush block.
The man – known by pseudonym Charlie Colt – was also found not guilty of the alternative charge of indecently assaulting a person under the age of 16.
A member of the incestuous Colt clan – known by pseudonym Charlie Colt – has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting his alleged daughter at a rundown NSW bush block
In handing down her judgment on Friday in the District Court, Judge Kate Traill accepted the young girl was an honest witness trying to give evidence about her childhood ‘which can only be described as horrific and disturbing’.
But inconsistencies in her police interviews and evidence, and the fact she made a similar allegation against her brother a week prior, cast doubt her alleged father was the perpetrator.
‘She may have confused or conflated what the brother had allegedly done with the accused,’ she said.
She also queried why it took almost eight years for the matter to come to trial.
Colt, 47, was accused of sexually assaulting the girl, who was aged six or younger, with a ‘small, skinny stick’ from a gun bag kept inside his tent, where she slept with him and her mother.
The man – known by pseudonym Charlie Colt – was also found not guilty of the alternative charge of indecently assaulting a person under the age of 16. Pictured: A member of the Colt family on their farm
Colt, 47, was accused of sexually assaulting the girl, who was aged six or younger, with a ‘small, skinny stick’ from a gun bag kept inside his tent, where she slept with him and her mother. Pictured: The squalid conditions the family was living in during mid-2012 in rural NSW
‘He didn’t say anything … just laughed,’ the then-six-year-old said in a video.
But at another time the girl – referred to by the pseudonym Nadia Colt – says she has no memory during the incident but remembers running out of the tent from pain.
‘I still deeply remember the pain,’ the court heard.
In a previous police interview, Nadia accused one of her brothers of sexually assaulting her almost every day at another residence.
But the detective said the brother was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his family members and did not pursue the allegations further.
In 2012, the six-year-old girl was removed from the family along with her siblings, when police found about 40 members of the family living in squalor among old caravans, tents and tin sheds.
In 2012, the six-year-old girl was removed from the family along with her siblings, when police found about 40 members of the family living in squalor among old caravans, tents and tin sheds. Pictured: Petra Colt (far left) with two cousins as a child
In a previous police interview, Nadia accused one of her brothers of sexually assaulting her almost every day at another residence. But the detective said the brother was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his family members and did not pursue the allegations further. Pictured: The squalid conditions the Colt family was living in mid-2012
Judge Traill read out police accounts of the property which had ‘lots of rubbish strewn around’, no toilet or shower facilities, beds manufactured from trees and animals wandering around.
‘There is a photo of a joey roaming inside the shelter next to where they were sleeping on a concrete floor in a tent,’ Judge Traill said.
When Nadia arrived at her foster carers home she had never used a bath or toilet, had no idea how to brush her teeth, and could not communicate coherently.
Judge Traill read out police accounts of the property which had ‘lots of rubbish strewn around’, no toilet or shower facilities, beds manufactured from trees and animals wandering around. Pictured: Where the Colt family was found to be living in rural NSW in mid-2012
‘Her hair felt like steel wool – it was filthy,’ the foster mother previously told the court.
‘We gave her a bubble bath and she didn’t know what it was.’
Her condition improved after speech therapy and she eventually transitioned into primary school.
Colt disputes he is Nadia’s paternal father, but according to the agreed statement of facts she would refer to him as ‘dad’.
Colt is expected to apply for prosecutors to pay his legal costs.