A disabled Melbourne man convicted of the horrific sexual abuse of two young children has had his prison sentence reduced amid concerns that COVID-19 could be caught behind bars.
A jury found 58-year-old Trevor Dunmall guilty of several counts, including two counts of sexually assaulting a person under the age of 12.
The court learned that the offense began in 2015 and continued for a period of two years; the victims of the Cranbourne man only showed up in the years following the abuse.
A jury found 58-year-old Trevor Dunmall guilty of several counts, including two counts of sexually assaulting a person under the age of 12. (9News)
Dunmall has always maintained his innocence, forcing his young victims to undergo lengthy interrogation.
Despite this, Judge Felicity Hampel reduced her sentence to poor health, including type 2 diabetes.
“Imprisonment in COVID time is more onerous and a sentence must be reduced as a result,” Hampel told the County Court today.
“There is also the fear of being exposed to COVID in an environment where you no longer have control over who you see and when you see them.”
Hampel sentenced Dunmall to eight years and six months in prison, with a sentence of five years and six months without parole.
In 2020, the former security guard was interviewed on 9News after being hit in a random attack on Cranbourne Park Mall.
He will remain on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.