Rudd condemns rape verdict

The village of Aurukun, is cut off during the wet season, the roads impassable from December - yet news of a gang rape, a ten-year-old victim and the resulting legal case has travelled far and shocked and embarrassed the nation.

In April 2006, a ten-year-old indigenous girl was gang raped, over the last two months nine males pleaded guilty to the offence.

The presiding judge gave six teenagers, all minors at the time of the offence, 12 months of probation - no criminal conviction was recorded. The other three were given six month suspended sentences.

The judge Sarah Bradley, who is known to favour rehab over retribution, told the eldest of the offenders:

"If you get into any more trouble in the next year, you could end up in jail..." - Judge Sarah Bradley

In sentencing she said:

"I accept that the girl involved, with respect to all of these matters, was not forced, and that she probably agreed to have sex with all of you."

The sentences have provoked outrage throughout Northern Queensland. The victim is developmentally disabled, born with foetal alcohol syndrome....

In defending her actions to a newspaper, Judge Bradley said the sentences were appropriate adding the crown prosecutor Steve Carter had not asked for custodial sentences.

Mr Carter had told the court:

"Although she was very young, she knew what was going on..."

And explained the males behaviour like this: "...they're very naughty for doing what they're doing but it's really, in this case, a form of childish experimentation...."

Decisions have now been taken, the crown prosecutor has been stood down. A social worker has also been fired and the states attorney general now wants to re-try the nine males involved.

Australia's new Labour prime minister Kevin Rudd has promised to apologise to indigenous Australians for historic injustices and to improve their living standards. His work will start early - events in Aurukun demonstrate that some civil servants certainly accept a lesser standard of rights and responsibilities from them.

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