Influencer learns fate after raping 14yo boy

A social media influencer will be jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy twice in one night and telling him “you’re a man now”.

The 46-year-old woman, who cannot be identified, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a child under 16 years old after a trial in October last year.

A jury determined she had drunkenly climbed into bed with the teen on an evening in mid-2021 before engaging him in oral and penetrative sex.

On Friday, the NSW District Court heard the influencer will be sentenced to imprisonment for sexually assaulting the minor twice in one evening.

Her lawyer Phillip Boulten SC asked Judge Sarah Hopkins to grant the woman a longer parole period to allow her to seek treatment for her mental health and alcohol abuse issues.

During the trial, the 46-year-old woman revealed she had struggled with alcohol abuse.

She admitted to drinking a bottle and a half of wine on the night of the sexual assault, but her the 14-year-old victim estimated she had consumed twice that amount.

Mr Boulten told the court his client previously drank heavily because she had “very significant psychological problems”.

The court heard the influencer had previously sought treatment for an eating disorder, anxiety disorder and adjustment disorder.

On Friday, forensic psychologist Stephen Woods told the court the 46-year-old also met the criteria for a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

He noted she displayed symptoms including “attention seeking” behaviours, “a fragile sense of self”, loss of inhibitions, a history of “highly dysfunctional relationships” and substance abuse.

After drinking so much wine on the night of the rape, Professor Woods opined her symptom level would have been “severe”.

“Her level of intoxication on the night would have added to her personality disorder disinhibition and poor impulse control,” he said.

“The two are enmeshed.”

Crown prosecutor Emma Blizard questioned whether the symptoms identified could be attributed to alcohol abuse disorder, as another doctor had previously diagnosed.

Professor Woods agreed there was an overlap because people with borderline personality disorder commonly develop substance abuse disorders.

The court was told he diagnosed the 46-year-old woman after a single consultation, and without access to the bulk of her psychological reports.

Ms Blizard said the lack of corroborating evidence and the reliance on the offender’s account raised “serious doubts” about his conclusion.

“The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is all bound up in what (the influencer) told Professor Woods,” she said.

“The majority of the information came from the offender and, under circumstances where her credibility is a live issue, that must feed into the validity (of the diagnosis).”

The court heard the woman gave Professor Woods a different version of the night of the rape than the one she provided during her trial, which was rejected by the jury.

“It must have been the jury’s verdict that she lied under oath,” Ms Blizard said.

The 46-year-old admitted to kissing her 14-year-old victim, but continues to deny any sexual activity occurred.

The jury accepted she had engaged in oral sex with the teen before having penile-vaginal sex with him in three different positions.

In a lawfully tapped phone call with the victim after the rape, the influencer laughingly admitted she was “attracted” to the teen.

“You’re a man now. You’re not a boy, you’re obviously a man,” she told him.

Professor Woods found there was nothing to suggest the influencer had “pedophilic” tendencies, and she would not pose a threat to other young people in future.

Maintaining her sobriety would be “critical” for her success in abstaining from further offences, he told the court.

The psychologist said she would be deterred from reoffending by the shame, humiliation and remorse she had suffered as a result of her sexual assault on the 14-year-old victim.

Mr Boulten said the influencer is currently in protective custody due to “her profile and the offences she committed”.

The 46-year-old will learn her the length of her sentence in the NSW District Court next month.