Family of girl attacks sex offender

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former MP Terry Martin

DISGRACED former MP Terry Martin, convicted of sex acts with a 12-year-old girl, was yesterday attacked by female relatives of the child as he walked free from court after being convicted of possessing child pornography.

The former long-standing Tasmanian upper house MP and mayor was attacked outside the Supreme Court in Hobart by two women, understood to be the aunt and grandmother of his victim.

Clearly distressed, the girl's aunt struck Martin with her bag as he walked from the court grounds into a laneway. She then appeared to strike his groin, as court officers rushed to defend the former Labor and independent MP.

The grandmother, who is frail and elderly, had moments earlier appeared to strike Martin with her walking stick. "I'll never, ever forgive you. The devil take you for what you've done," she yelled.

The family members, as well as anti-abuse campaigners, are outraged that Martin, 54, has twice walked free from the Supreme Court after being found guilty of serious offences.

Last November, Martin was given a 10-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of unlawful sexual intercourse with the 12-year-old in 2009, and of taking photographs of her naked.

Yesterday, separate proceedings concluded with Martin receiving a one-month suspended sentence for possessing hundreds of images of child porn featuring children as young as eight.

On both occasions, the judges suspended jail terms on condition of good behaviour after accepting Martin's defence that his crimes were the result of hyper-sexuality caused by medication taken for Parkinson's disease.

This defence argument, supported by medical reports, has not satisfied anti-abuse campaigners and the family of the girl, who was prostituted by her mother and a family acquaintance.

Judge Alan Blow said while possession of child pornography would normally dictate a prison term, he accepted that Martin's offence was related to the side-effects of his medication.

The judge said since dropping the medication, Martin had no interest in child pornography and had "no sexual interest in children".

His sentence of one month's jail was suspended for 21 months.

Martin is understood to have been taken to hospital with a minor head injury after yesterday's attack.

Info : News