A young girl who was lured to the home of a paedophile in 2022 has been awarded $75,000 compensation after her family said she changed “dramatically” after the assault.
A young girl who was lured to the home of a paedophile in 2022 has been awarded $75,000 compensation after her family said she changed “dramatically” after the assault.
By Rebecca Peppiatt
February 26, 2025 — 2.00am
A young girl who was lured from a Doubleview park and assaulted by a paedophile has been awarded $75,000 in compensation, with the impact the offending had laid bare in court documents released this month.
The horrific abduction in July 2022 was labelled “every parents’ worst nightmare” by prosecutors as it was revealed Ashley James Bropho had approached the girl while she walked a dog at her grandparents’ house, offering her a Hungry Jacks hamburger if she went with him back to his house.
Bropho was later murdered in a prison vigilante attack, days after he pleaded guilty to luring the girl to his bedroom before assaulting and exposing himself to her.
The 39-year-old, who has an intellectual disability, was in the care of a support worker who saw him enter the house with the child and banged on the front door, interrupting the assault.
The girl was then able to leave with her dog, running back to her grandparents’ house to report the incident.
Bropho was charged with two counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13 years and one count of procure, encourage or incite a child under 13 years and pleaded guilty in Perth District Court in March 2023.
Two days later, he was killed by Evan James Martin, who in turn was sentenced to life in prison for the attack.
It was also revealed that Bropho had grown up in the same household as Terence Kelly, the man jailed for the abduction of Cleo Smith in 2021.
Last year, the girl’s father applied to the criminal injuries compensation board on behalf of his daughter, bringing forward evidence from a psychiatrist about the impact of the incident.
Court documents released this month said the girl changed “dramatically” from being a “very happy, bubbly outgoing girl” into someone who was “more withdrawn, scared, very timid at times and confused with her emotions”.
“She was a lot more guarded, especially around males,” a psychologist told the court.
“She would often wake up in the middle of the night crying and emotional.”
The girl’s dad said she “now uses avoidance to cope, has blocked memories of the offences and does not want to talk about the offences”.
In considering the application for compensation, the assessor of criminal injuries compensation Alice Barter said, “the devastating and long-term impact of child sexual abuse on children is well established”.
“The traumatic nature of the offending in this case is evidenced by a vulnerable child being approached after leaving a public park and being lured into a stranger’s bedroom where the sexual offences were committed,” she said.
It was noted that the girl had suffered symptoms such as feeling scared, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, feeling sad, appearing withdrawn and unhappy, appearing tearful, crying, frightened and confused.
“I am satisfied the applicant has been significantly psychologically affected by the offences; her symptoms are enduring and considerably impact her life,” Barter said.
“Accordingly, I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities the psychological symptoms suffered by the applicant amount to mental and nervous shock as a consequence of the proved offences.”
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Act states that criminal compensation funds be held in trust for the girl until she turns 18.
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Rebecca Peppiatt – is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in crime and courts.Connect via email.