Queensland court quashes First Nations woman’s lawsuit due to length of time since alleged sexual abuse

Joanne Willmot alleges she suffered a decade of abuse, starting at the hands of her foster carer at age three or four

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A First Nations woman has lost her bid for damages from the state of Queensland after a court ruled the length of time since her alleged sexual and physical abuse in care made it impossible to fairly adjudicate the case.

Joanne Willmot, 69, alleged she had sustained a psychiatric injury after being abused from 1957 to 1967 while living in a foster home, at the Cherbourg girls’ dormitory and while visiting her grandmother.

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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html