An Australian father of three has received a 20 month jail sentence for performing oral sex on a 13-year-old boy.
Joseph Wakim, 53, pleaded guilty to the rape of the boy at his home on Christmas Day 2015.
Wakim was said to have “showered” the victim in gifts, ice-cream, pancakes and attention.
The Age reported the heartbreaking words the young boy submitted to the court in a victim impact statement.
“Why did you do it? Why, why why?” he asked.
The act occurred on Christmas night when Wakim escorted the boy upstairs under the guise of giving him a massage.
The mother of the boy had fallen asleep downstairs but woke up as Wakim was leaving.
The victim immediately told his mother what had occurred.
The court heard Wakim sent an email to the young victim in the days after the offending occurred.
“You are the beloved son of three fathers. Your iPad is your hotline to me. Your rosary is your hotline to God. There is so much I would like to share with you,” the email said.
“I will arrange a sleepover and hopefully take you to the waves soon. Your name on my phone always brings a smile.”
The young daughters of Wakim were said to have attended the trial in order to support their father.
It was reported Wakim became involved with the victim’s family after they met at a church event.
The two families became so close that Wakim began flying down to visit and babysit their young children.
County Court judge Amanda Chambers emphasised the level of trust Wakim betrayed during sentencing.
"He came to view you as a father figure, someone who cared for him and gave him valued advice," Judge Chambers said.
"You showered him with attention, presents, pancakes and ice-cream."
"Driving in the car, you took the victim's hand and repeatedly kissed it, saying words to the effect 'you know how much I love you'."
Wakim told the court he was "baffled" about why he committed the offence but linked it to his own abuse at age 13.
Wakim received an Order of Australia and was also the founder of the Australian Arabic Council.
Wakim has since been stripped of his Order and will be on the sex offenders registry for 15 years.
Top Comments
Twenty MONTHS for the rape of a thirteen year old boy? With, let's face it, ALL intentions on doing it again and again.. Why is he only receiving such a short sentence? And why ONKY fifteen years as a registered sex offender?
A sex offender, a sick paedophile at that, should've on the register FOREVER. That is much too light a sentence. He RAPED a CHILD for goodness sakes!!
We need to, as a community, start INSISTING that our justice system start handing out MAXIMUM sentences as a compulsory sentence for each and every rapist, and each and every paedophile.
Disgusting, pathetic excuse of a human doesNOT deserve any support, let alone family, but it seems here he's been let of lightly......
I read this story and thought the name and photo looked familiar......yep around Christmas time when this man was abusing this poor child I was reading his book about how he raised his daughters by himself after their mum died of cancer, called What my daughters taught me. What a sick person to ruin his and his families and this boys and boy's family life