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FORMER Rosny Children's Choir organist Peter Richman is in jail while a judge decides what sentence he should serve for a child-sex offence. Richman appeared in the Supreme Court in Hobart yesterday to plead guilty to maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person. The charge relates to incidents involving a girl choir member in Hobart, Richmond Vale and Rutherglen in the early 1980s. Richman, 76, an author, musician and film producer, is best known for his work with the children's choir and Hobart's Carols by Candlelight, now Carols by the Bay. Crown prosecutor Linda Mason told the court the 15-year-old girl regarded Richman as a father figure and confided her troubles to him. While giving the girl a ride home after choir practice one night, Richman kissed her and touched her breasts, indecently touched her and made her indecently touch him, she said. There were similar, repeated incidents, including when Richman played a pornographic video for the girl before engaging in indecent acts with her. Richman looked away when his victim fought tears as she told the court of the impact the crime had on her. "It has taken me 30 years to crawl out of the dark hole that the sexual assault put me in," she said. "I have struggled to regain some self-confidence and the slightest little thing can draw me back into the dark place where Peter left me." Defence lawyer Brian Morgan told the court Richman had been ashamed of his conduct but believed the relationship was consensual. "In his mind there was never any question that the complainant was an equally willing participant in this," he said. Mr Morgan said Richman had been associated with thousands of children over the years and had not committed any other offences of this sort. "Our client is not a sexual predator, he is not a person who used his association with children to groom them for sex," he said. He said Richman suffered from heart disease, a back condition, gout, narcolepsy and asthma and his risk of re-offending was low. Many former members of the choir had come forward to support him, Mr Morgan said. Justice Shan Tennent remanded Richman in custody for sentencing on May 17. The Mercury (3-5-2011) David Killick http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/05/03/227021_tasmania-news.html |
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