What are your thoughts?

I would echo a lot of what Jim has said in terms of how victims should be treated when they come forward and even the history behind that.

Obviously, a big barrier to victims coming forward is that, will I be believed? Is there sufficient evidence? A lot of these incidents happen behind closed doors with no witnesses.

Often, it is a position of trust that is misused.

against a vulnerable person because most often we are abused by someone that we know or someone in a position of power.

So there is, and I suppose I echo Jim's sentiments around Jackie has made a statement trying to make a human connection perhaps on that challenge that victims face around being believed.

But obviously the police and the police ombudsman rule is to investigate accusations that are made fairly and impartially.

Do you believe everybody that tells you they've been a victim coming into your door?

How difficult is it for somebody to come forward all those years after the abuse has taken place and go through the court process?

Uh, it's extremely challenging for, uh, any victim to come forward, either to disclose to, um, a support individual or to make that report to the police.

Um, victims come with a lot of labels and badges that our society unfortunately projects onto them, whether that be, how can it be true? What was their behavior like? What were they wearing? Were they drunk? All of these sort of, um, rape myths and misconceptions that our society holds, and we hold them to help keep ourselves feel safe and protected.

But the reality is, abuse thrives on the misuse of power and control and trust, and that we've seen that again today in this case, unfortunately, that high-profile individuals have got themselves into positions of trust, which they have then abused, and they've used that position of trust to hold that power over the individuals concerned to prevent them coming forward, to silence them.

Um, so the immense courage to, A, come forward, and then to see the justice process through.

And any victim that comes forward and does that should be commended.

And what did you think of some of the defense questions asking Complainant B in particular, "Well, why didn't you scream and shout about this? Why didn't you confide in somebody whenever you were a young child and this was happening to you?"

I think it just goes to further perpetuate those rape myths.

What are your thoughts, Joanne?

Yeah, it's deeply concerning given the seriousness of the offenses, um, the fact that, uh, the rapes happened consecutively.

They weren't at the same time, so we have a gap between November and January.

So we don't see any remorse for behavior.

Um, in fact, we see, uh, more appetite for that, and the fact that these were also videoed and then shared doesn't speak to me, um, as young people who have, um, taken any consideration for the consequences of their actions.

So for victims, which is what we need to speak to and focus on here, this is extremely concerning, uh, and a real deterrent for victims coming forward.

We've heard these young people speak around, um, the impact, the telling their story, re-sharing, the re-traumatization, and then for the lack of, um, uh, what would be a secure sentence, 'cause obviously young people, uh, um, won't go to jail at the age of 14.

Why are you calling them young men, though? Why?