One of Canberra's most notorious paedophile coaches "stole [the] innocence, hopes and dreams" of his three most recently discovered child victims.
"Inflicting deep trauma and pain upon each of them," Justice Belinda Baker said.
Ian Harold King, 80, preyed on the young and aspiring cricketers, deceiving them into believing the monstrous abuse repeatedly perpetrated in his home was for their benefit.
"The offending was prolonged, planned and premeditated," the judge said on Thursday, when she sentenced him in the ACT Supreme Court.
The predator has been locked up since 2008. His criminal history since that time includes the sexual abuse of 11 other boys, all but one of whom he had coached.
Effective life sentence
The judge said the man's sentence for his latest known crimes against boys as young as 14 must recognise the "profound, multifaceted and lifelong harm the offender has caused to these victims and their broader families".
She handed King a 23-year sentence for his admitted offences, including multiple counts of persistent sexual abuse of a child under special care and rape.
Justice Baker re-set the man's non-parole period to 25 years, for the totality of his crimes, and described her decision as an effective life sentence for the physically frail and partially blind paedophile.
King will be eligible for release in 2033 but with no guarantee he'll apply, he is likely to die in prison.
'Grave breach of trust'
Justice Baker said the power imbalance between King and the three boys, whom he met separately in the late 90s and early 2000s, "was extreme".
The serial abuser isolated the three young victims in the exact same way.
"Each of the victims were talented young cricket players who had accepted the offender's offer of attending one-on-one training sessions with him," the judge said.
Kind would eventually trap the boys at his home to rape and indecently assault them.
Justice Baker said multiple dozens of training sessions over numerous cricket seasons would end in sexual abuse.
"The offending constituted a grave breach of trust," she said.
Deception and abuse
King repeatedly told one boy the abuse was natural and "what was occurring was to improve his cricket abilities".
He despicably told another victim he needed "to relax when he was under pressure and outside his comfort zone" to be a successful athlete, and that other teammates were also being sexually abused.
Another victim told the court he felt "failed by Cricket ACT, Cricket Australia and by those who were in leadership positions at Ginninderra Cricket Club at the time".
On Thursday, Justice Baker said King's moral culpability was "significantly reduced" by his "profoundly disadvantaged background" and the abuse he suffered as a child.
However, the judge said the need for denunciation and recognition of harm done was more important and she did not grant him a substantial reduction.
She also placed no weight on his prior good character, which she said had allowed him to commit his crimes.
King will be 90 when he is eligible for parole.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 6247 2525; Bravehearts 1800 272 831; Blue Knot Foundation 1300 657 380.
