Queensland judge's extraordinary act as he stops court and orders five minutes of silence after barrister's claim about a sex offence

Published: 07:46, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 07:47, 10 July 2026 A Queensland judge halted court proceedings and ordered five minutes of silence after a barrister tried to minimise a man's sex act on a 14-year-old girl. The 35-year-old man, who cannot be named in order to protect the child's identity, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual conduct with the child. Defence barrister Damien Gates told the court during a sentencing hearing on Thursday that his client had acted 'on the basis that the penile intercourse lasted five minutes, not more than that, and he desisted', The Courier Mail reported. Mr Gates said the incident was the result of 'poor impulse control'.  But while he was midway through his argument, Mr Gates was interrupted by Brisbane District Court Acting Judge Ryan Haddrick.  'Sit down for a second... in fact, sit down for five minutes, starting now,' Judge Haddrick said, and the courtroom fell silent. 'The proposition I am putting through to you and through to your client, is that in five minutes engaging in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old, the penny should have dropped before it occurred. 'That sexual conduct went on for more than a few seconds, it went on for a sustained period of time.' Brisbane District Court Acting Judge Ryan Haddrick stopped proceedings to demonstrate how long five minutes can feel The court was listening to arguments in a sentencing hearing for a 35-year-old man who had pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl The judge paused proceedings while defence barrister Damien Gates was speaking  The court heard the man and the child had dinner and then smoked cannabis before the incident. Mr Gates told the court the man had been 'sitting on the couch when the complainant rubbed her waist up against him, which I might take as something of an invitation'.  The court heard the man exposed himself to her, removed her underwear, and had sexual intercourse with her for five minutes.  A recorded conversation between the pair was played in the courtroom, in which the defendant admitted to the act. When asked by Judge Haddrick if the 14-year-old could consent, Mr Gates said she could not. 'I don't disagree with your Honour about the morality of this offence. Obviously it's a serious offence,' the barrister said. The man was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, with six months in custody. He is eligible for parole in January.  'The damage just rattles on through the ages, and that's all because of your immature, immoral and frankly selfish conduct on this occasion,' Judge Haddrick said during the sentencing.  'We live in an age where we have a very clear understanding now that we didn't in earlier times, of the pernicious nature of this sort of sexual offending that can stay in the mind and stay in the life story of a victim for years if not decades to come. 'It robs that child of their innocence, but also many things that they should be able to take for granted, like trust in men, and an understanding of what is sexually appropriate and not appropriate.'