‘Kick in the guts’: Victims of paedophile fight for compensation

Victims of convicted paedophile Ricky Bennett are launching legal action in a bid to receive compensation for the abuse they suffered under a man who cared for vulnerable children.

Bennett, 70, was based in Adelaide’s north when he committed 17 child sex offences against nine victims, some who were as young as three at the time.

One victim claimed to have gone to police to report Bennett’s offending in 2013, but he was still able to care for and abuse children.

Now, victims have been told they may not be fully compensated for the trauma they suffered at the hands of Bennett, who was jailed for 24 years.

This is because the sale of Bennett’s assets may go straight to the state government’s Victims of Crime fund, which is worth almost $300 million.

Some victims told 9News they were hurt.

“It’s really disheartening and upsetting because we’ve already been through enough,” one visibly emotional victim said.

“We’ve suffered so much and it’s completely unfair and it’s not right at all.

“It’s just another kick in the guts.“

The victim said they and others who had suffered abuse by Bennett were entitled to strong compensation.

“It should be used to support victims ... It shouldn’t just be sitting there,” the victim said.

Andrew Carpenter, a lawyer representing some of the victims who are seeking compensation, claimed the government was wrong to allocate the funds to the Victims of Crime fund.

“The government is effectively trying to cut in front of victim-survivors to get these assets from this offender,” Carpenter said.

“It should be the victim-survivors who are the first ones in line to obtain this compensation.“

The government told 9News that it acknowledged the severity of the crimes, but said it had to manage the fund responsibly to assist future victims.

The decision has been criticised by the opposition.

“It shouldn’t just be a bank or a fund that’s sitting there, it should be going to victims who are entitled to receive that funding,” opposition spokesperson Heidi Girolamo said.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).