The Northern Territory government is seeking to have prosecutors consider an appeal against the sentence handed down to a man convicted of raping a four-year-old girl in a Darwin town camp. Nathaniel Farrell, 34, was last week sentenced to 10 years in prison with a non-parole period of seven years for digitally raping the child after luring her into a home. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro expressed shock at the case and described the sentence as “manifestly inadequate.”

Farrell, who has a lengthy criminal record, had previously been protected by a suppression order that prevented the publication of his name, but the order was lifted during sentencing.

This case is one of several recent instances involving very young victims to come before Northern Territory courts. In August, a separate case saw a 31-year-old man sentenced to nine years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of nearly seven years, for multiple sexual offences against two nieces committed in 2023. The man admitted to filming a three-year-old niece performing a sex act on him and taking sexually explicit photos. Forensic analysis of his phone also revealed an image of an unidentified, naked Indigenous female child, believed to be very young, whose face was obscured and identity could not be established. The court was told the man had no prior sexual offence history but had a significant criminal background involving theft, assault, breaches of bail, and domestic violence orders.

Acting Justice David Lovell condemned the offender’s treatment of the children as exploitative and said there was no clear explanation for the offences beyond substance abuse issues. He noted the offender’s guarded prospects for rehabilitation and questioned whether a clinical diagnosis of pedophilic disorder applied.

The man pleaded guilty to six charges including indecent dealing, gross indecency against an unidentified child, production of child abuse material, and sexual intercourse with a child under aggravated circumstances. The judge remarked on the severity of the offences and emphasized that both victims’ anonymity would be preserved. The offender was identified only as his name was withheld to protect the victims, who were related to him.

In response to these cases, Finocchiaro indicated the government is preparing legislative reforms aimed at lifting current gag orders that prevent naming individuals charged with sexual offences until cases advance to the Supreme Court or result in guilty pleas. She said the proposed legislation could be introduced to Parliament later this year.