64-year-old Indian man, Ajay Kumar Marria, has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child but the court has given a paltry sentence of 13 months in jail. Marria was given one year 10 months and 13 days imprisonment with a non-parole period of one year and 28 days.
The incident of assault took place in September last year when Marria was working at a suburban Adelaide function centre. Two boys arrived at the event with their fathers. Finding one of them alone in an area where there was no CCTV, Marria touched the boy under his clothes. By that time, the boy's father started a frantic search for the boy and found the boy with Marria. The boy rushed to his father and told him how he had been indecently touched by Marria. The boy's father punched and pushed Marria to the ground.
Though there was no CCTV footage of the specific incident, investigators later found a recording of Marria earlier abusing another boy, forcing him to sit on his lap.
Port Adelaide Police Station arrested Marria and he denied the charges. He was remanded in custody before he was granted bail. Then he pleaded guilty to both charges of aggravated indecent assault and aggravated assault.
Marria’s lawyers submitted that their client’s time in custody would be more difficult as he does not speak English and is an older man.
Marria's legal status in Australia is also under question as he came to Australia from India in 2023 on a visitor visa to stay with his son after the death of his wife. He cannot speak English and was working as a cook t the Omni Bar and Function Centre at Hindmarsh as the owner was from the same ethnic group and spoke his language, the court was told.
