In a damning courtroom verdict, a judge has condemned the 'abhorrent male bravado' of two footballers as he sentenced them to prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Queenslander Jaiden Fidge, aged 24, and his friend Riley Smith, 26, from New South Wales, pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a child under 16, with Fidge admitting to one count and Smith to two counts, stemming from their predatory actions at a birthday party in 2024.
Judge Slams 'Disgusting' Offending
At Victoria's County Court on Thursday, Judge Gerard Mullaly delivered scathing remarks, labelling the men's behaviour as 'disgusting' and 'degrading'. He emphasised that both offenders were significantly older and fully aware of the victim's age, yet proceeded with the assault regardless. 'You knew the victim's age, but you went ahead anyway,' Judge Mullaly told the pair during the sentencing hearing.
Details of the Assault Emerge
The court heard that the men, who met online through an AFL memes group, encountered the girl at a party on Victoria's Surf Coast. Fidge initially asked her age, and she truthfully responded that she was 14. Smith then inquired as well, falsely claiming he was 17 when he was actually 24 at the time. Later that evening, Fidge, then 22, lured the girl away from the party to the backyard and began kissing her.
Smith approached from behind and pulled down the girl's pants and underwear. When the girl turned on her phone light, the men instructed her to turn it off and, when she questioned what was happening, they misleadingly said 'you need to pee'. The two men then jointly penetrated the girl, who was rendered unable to speak or call for help, before returning to the party.
Boasting and Further Abuse
After the victim went to bed, Fidge and Smith boasted to other men at the party that they had 'put the victim on the spit', a phrase Judge Mullaly described as 'degrading' and reflective of their 'depraved thinking'. The judge noted he deliberated carefully before repeating these 'disgusting words' in court, stating they 'graphically give insight into your depraved thinking about the victim, and indeed how you see and give little value to the dignity and autonomy of women.'
Subsequently, Smith contacted the girl on Snapchat, asking her to meet him outside alone, where he again pulled her pants down and penetrated her. Word of their actions spread, leading to their expulsion from the party. Both men were interviewed by police and initially denied any sexual activity with the girl, but later admitted their crimes after being presented with 'overwhelming' DNA evidence.
Sentencing and Consequences
Fidge was sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison, with a maximum term of four years and nine months, while Smith received a minimum of three years and 10 months, up to a maximum of five years and 11 months. The standard sentence for such offences is six years, but the court considered positive character references, early guilty pleas, and expressions of remorse in mitigating the penalties.
Both men will be registered as sex offenders for 15 years, a measure aimed at protecting the community from future harm. The case has sparked outrage and highlighted the severe consequences of sexual crimes against minors, with Judge Mullaly underscoring the 'abhorrent' nature of the offenders' actions and their blatant disregard for the victim's welfare.
