Australian Kurt Robert Bush released from jail after raping 11-year-old girl

A Queensland man who groomed and raped an 11-year-old girl has been released on parole after serving nearly nine months in pre-sentence custody.

Kurt Robert Bush, 20, from the Moreton Bay region, faced Brisbane District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to manipulating the girl by sending her explicit videos and messages via Snapchat and two counts of rape.

The court heard that Bush befriended the girl on camping trips with her family and they began exchanging messages beginning in January 2022.

The crown prosecutor said Bush told the girl they should “go on a secret date” and then sent her videos of himself engaging in lewd acts.

Bush twice raped the girl while she was spending the night at her family home in April of last year.

‘These were invasive acts committed deliberately with secrecy and manipulation. This was a felony,” the prosecutor said.

The girl’s victim impact statement, read in court by the prosecutor, said she now has more difficulty trusting people and that she harmed herself.

‘Kurt’s actions have severely impacted my life. He has made my life so much more difficult in so many different ways. He has made my life depressing, by making my family suffer as much as they did,” the girl claimed.

“Sometimes I feel like it was all my fault and I have a lot of guilty feelings. I feel like the whole world would be better off without me.

Bush’s lawyer, Michael Anderson, said his client was willing to undergo any recommended treatment, had good prospects for rehabilitation and a low risk of recidivism.

“He has support in the community, he will be living with (a family member) when he is released, who is aware of his crime and the need for him to continue treatment,” Mr Anderson said.

Judge Nicole Kefford said Bush had been given a chance to pause and reflect during her offense, even when the girl told her it would not be a good idea to exchange explicit videos, but she decided to go ahead.

You took advantage of a vulnerable child for your own sexual gratification. That is appalling conduct and the community will not tolerate it,” Judge Kefford said.

“The victim impact statement was really quite upsetting with the child blaming himself. They are innocent and have nothing to be ashamed of. You have taken that innocence.

The young woman told the court that she has since struggled with depression and self-harm and deals with feelings of guilt over Bush’s actions.

Judge Kefford said that Bush telling the boy to keep his interactions secret was a sign that he knew what he was doing was wrong.

The judge ordered Bush to complete treatment recommended by Correctional Services, noting that a psychological report indicated that his offense was influenced by emotional and sexual immaturity rather than attraction to children.

Bush was sentenced to three years in prison on the rape charges, suspended in light of the 263 days he has already spent in custody, and released on a three-year probation order on the grooming charge.

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