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adversarial system often results in the courts failing the victims. Had
appellant (presumably confident that he could bribe the impoverished
children to silence) not taken the whole group with him, and had not, as
a result, one of the boys been able to give good evidence of the events
of that evening, appellant would indeed have got away with it. M. was
found to be as incompetent to testify as E.. It would probably have
taken very little, even had they been rated capable of testifying, for
appellant's attorney to show them up as unreliable witnesses.
Appellant's conduct in my view was sufficiently reprehensible to
fall within the category of offences calling for a sentence both reflecting
the court's strong disapproval and hopefully acting as a deterrent to
others minded to satisfy their carnal desires with helpless children. His
victim was doubly vulnerable. Not only was she very young, but she
had neither a safe haven to return to nor any of the armour caring parents
try to provide for their children. She was perhaps chosen for that very
reason: sexually attractive she certainly was not. Appellant exhibited no
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genuine remorse. He protested (untruthfully) to the end, that though he