Mum tells abuse commission of her guilt over explicit photos

A mother who was jailed for sending a pedophile dance teacher explicit photos of her daughters has told an inquiry she was bullied into sending the pictures.

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The woman, BZH, was recently released on parole having served 18 months for sending Grant Davies naked and semi-naked images of her pre-teen daughters.

Davies is awaiting sentencing having pleaded guilty last September to 47 counts of child sex offences.

On Tuesday, BZH told the child sex abuse royal commission that there is not a day when she doesn't feel shame and guilt over what happened with Grant Davies.

"Looking back, it was like I was in some kind of spell or fog that I couldn't get out of," BZH said as she told how Davies controlled her with escalating threats to damage her daughters' dance careers.

Through tears BZH told how she started a Facebook friendship with Grant Davies after a dance performance in 2009.

Her daughters BZF and BZG were with a different studio and Davies kept telling her how talented they were and how well they would do if they joined his studio.

The Facebook chat slowly turned to Davies asking personal questions about the girls and then asking for videos showing him their poses and body lines.

BZH said in October 2009 she sent him the first video she should not have, one of BZF aged nine in a G-string "mucking around with a feather boa".

Davies had asked online what they were doing and she had told him they were dancing around in their underwear.

She said when she ignored his request he hounded her online for the video.

"I felt it was wrong and I shut down and blocked out my doubts and concerns".

His response was "this is great".

BZH said she gave in to his escalating requests for inappropriate images of her girls "despite knowing deep down it was not right".

"Looking back now I thought sending the pictures and videos would benefit my girls dance opportunities.

Grant had this way of being able to 'mind mould' me around to his way of seeing things.

"He would threaten to destroy me and my daughters," she said.

She understood it he meant he would release the photos on the internet.

BZH told the commission from the time her daughters joined RG Dance in 2010, Davies was very demanding.

He even bullied her into pulling BZF out of an Australian Ballet production.

Sending images of the girls reached its worst point in 2012.

"I find this period of time very difficult to look back on as it was the worst thing I have ever done and I deeply regret it".

BZH was arrested and charged in early 2014, some months after Davies had been arrested.

"I struggle to reflect on what I did. It is difficult because my family and my children feel punished as well."


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Source: AAP


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