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Child abuse survivor awarded record $5.3 million payout after suing abuser John Millwood
A Tasmanian court has awarded a child abuse survivor a landmark amount of more than $5 million after he sued his abuser.
Key points:
The victim, who cannot be named, was abused over a period of six years in the 1980s by convicted paedophile John Wayne Millwood
Millwood, 75, is a former Launceston practice pathology manager and arts patron
The abuse survivor's civil action was only made possible by a change in the law in 2018. He commenced the action five days later
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was abused over a period of six years in the 1980s by convicted paedophile John Wayne Millwood.
In 2016, in the midst of a trial, Millwood pleaded guilty to multiple child sex offences. He was given parole in 2018, after serving just two years of his four-year sentence.
The survivor said he brought the civil action against Millwood because of his "lack of remorse and aggravating conduct".
In a statement issued to the media, he said he saw a need to "seek restitutional justice" in order to hold Millwood to account for his "crimes and disgraceful behaviour since".
The survivor said the payout "sets a new benchmark for compensation of sexual abuse survivors".
"This judgement tears through decades of Millwood's lies, persecution, and underhand dealings intended to discredit and intimidate me into silence," he said.
"But as he bullied me both before and during the legal process, as he spread offensive slurs and mired himself in deceit, the more clear-eyed I became: I saw this as a moral and ethical battle, not just a legal one.
"No survivor of child sex abuse should ever be subjected to victim-blaming, gaslighting, harassment, misuse of defamation laws, surveillance by private detectives intended to intimidate, and arguments that children can consent to sexual abuse.
"This judgement makes clear such conduct is completely and utterly unacceptable."
He said the judgement recognised the "life-long impact" of child sexual abuse.
"It recognises that this impact is felt in every facet of life, directly causes physical and psychological injury, and has negative long-term economic consequences," he said.
"I am hopeful it will become an oft-cited precedent, paving the way for future claims against paedophiles and the institutions that harbour them.
"I am very proud of what my legal team has achieved. This is a victory for all child abuse survivors."
Who is John Wayne Millwood?
Millwood, 75, is a former Launceston pathology practice manager and arts patron.
He is not a medical practitioner but would use medical examinations as a cover to abuse the victim.
In his response to the civil proceedings against him, Millwood tried to claim that the abuse survivor, who was 10 when it first began, had not only consented to the sexual abuse but initiated it.
He also claimed that child abuse does not cause injury.
Millwood was unrepresented at the civil trial and did not make an appearance.
In his ruling, Chief Justice Alan Blow said he was satisfied the abuse survivor was suffering from complex post-traumatic disorder and a major depressive disorder as a result of the sexual abuse.
"I am satisfied that the defendant's sexual abuse of the plaintiff was the major cause of all his psychiatric and psychological symptoms," he said.
"I am satisfied that, as a result, the plaintiff's earning capacity has been impaired since about the end of 1999, and that it is likely to remain impaired for the rest of his working life.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/civil-compensation-against-paedophile-john-millwood/100718956