An Aboriginal community leader who raped and sexually abused four children over six years received a reduced prison sentence partly because of his standing in the community, despite a judge finding that he had shown “no remorse”.

Jeffrey Alan Brown, 67, a prominent member of Western Australia’s Hedland Aboriginal community, was convicted of abusing four children aged 10, 11, 12 and 14 in Port Hedland.

The District Court heard that the children were around 40 years younger than Brown and had been in his care, under his supervision or subject to his authority. They trusted him.

In 2024, Brown was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for 13 child sex offences.

He is serving the sentence at Roebourne prison. The term was equivalent to the maximum penalty for a single charge of indecently dealing with a child.

According to The Australian, District Court Judge Gary Massey referred to Brown’s reputation in the community as one of the mitigating factors considered during sentencing.

Judge Massey pointed to Brown’s “significant connection to country”, his “commendable” work to preserve his culture and the fact that he had been his wife’s “full-time carer, which is a credit to you”.

“You’ve done it tough since being remanded in custody (awaiting trial)… you are separated from your family with whom you are close, and your wife is deprived of your role as her carer, which I’m sure weighs heavily on you,” he said.

“Ultimately, the sentence I must impose must be proportionate with the seriousness of your offending.

“I am going to treat you as a person of prior good character… and that is a mitigating factor… I mustn’t impose a crushing sentence on you… that is, a sentence which destroys any reasonable expectation of a useful life upon release.”

The court heard that Brown first indecently assaulted a 10-year-old girl during a camping trip, The Australian reported.

He later raped her on two occasions while she was staying at his home.

Court documents reviewed by The Australian said Brown told an 11-year-old boy “to be a good boy” and “to keep a secret” before he “[tore] his pants down”.

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The documents said Brown gave the boy $50 and enticed him with “chocolate” and “soft drinks” before raping him a year later.

In another incident, Brown instructed a 12-year-old girl to “go into the storeroom and get some tools” at his home, where he showed her adult pornography.

The girl said “no” and ran away. On a later occasion, however, Brown sexually abused her in his kitchen while his wife was in another room and the girl was preparing her a cup of tea.

The girl’s 14-year-old sister was also abused by Brown, including during a camping trip to Yule River.

Brown pleaded not guilty to all 13 child sex offences and “denied the offences at trial”. Judge Massey later concluded that he had shown no remorse.

‘You don’t acknowledge the offending so therefore I can’t give you credit for any remorse,’ he said. 

‘This is serious offending, as everyone acknowledges. 

‘It involved you taking advantage of children in your care for your own sexual gratification … the effects of your offending on those children will be long-lasting.’

Judge Massey said some of the children kept the abuse secret due to ‘shame and embarrassment’. 

‘They never told anyone, including the other siblings who were blissfully unaware of what was going on … until the disclosure by (their brother),’ he said.

‘You really took advantage of the trust reposed in you.’

Brown, who has four children and five grandchildren, does not drink or take drugs and had been widely respected within his community. 

He worked for local government and helped establish the Pilbara Land Council, later serving on advisory boards and the boards of Indigenous corporations. 

Princess Eugenie has marked her eighth wedding anniversary with a tender video of her husband, Jack Brooksbank, cuddling their newborn daughter.

The King’s niece, 36, offered followers an unusually personal look at family life while praising Jack, 40, as the “best Dada” to their three children.

In the Instagram clip, Jack gently cradles and rocks baby Adelaide, who was born in Portugal in August.

The devoted father appears to soothe his daughter while softly massaging her head. Eugenie also explained the sweet exchange taking place off camera.

Alongside the footage, she wrote: “Happy 8 years married my love.

“What you can’t hear in this video is Jack asking our daughter if she likes her head being massaged that way… so thoughtful, caring, and best Dada there is to our 3. Couldn’t have wished for a better partner.”

The affectionate moment comes as the couple celebrates their first anniversary since welcoming their third child, Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank. She joined her older brothers, five-year-old August and three-year-old Ernest, earlier this year.

Eugenie and Jack married in a grand ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on October 12, 2018. Hundreds of guests attended, among them the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The couple first met during a skiing trip in Switzerland in 2010. Since then, they have divided their time between Britain and Portugal, where Jack’s career has taken the family in recent years.

Their youngest child was born at a Lisbon hospital on August 3, weighing 6lb 9oz. Eugenie announced the news the following day.

Two weeks after Adelaide’s arrival, Eugenie posted a photograph of her sleeping newborn and disclosed the meaning behind her name, which honours three people close to the couple.

“2 weeks ago today we welcomed our girl to the world. And since then we’ve had the most special, cosy and love-filled time,” she wrote.

“We are so happy to share Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank. Named after three people we love and admire past and present, including her Great-Grandmother who we hold close in our hearts.

“Her name is part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home.”

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The princess also said August and Ernest had embraced their new role, adding: “Augie and Ernie are already the best big brothers.”

Elizabeth is a poignant tribute to Eugenie’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022.

Adelaide is thought to nod to Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, as well as Santa Maria Adelaide of Portugal—an allusion to the family’s ties to both countries.

Meanwhile, Annina is understood to have been chosen because of a personal connection, although Eugenie has not publicly explained its significance.

The couple’s choice of Adelaide also has a particularly sentimental connection to their wedding day.

At their evening reception in 2018, Eugenie wore two diamond wheat-ear brooches in her hair, which had originally been commissioned by William IV for his wife Queen Adelaide.

The princess’s new daughter is 15th in line to the throne, ahead of her great-uncle Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, but will not have the title of Her Royal Highness.

She is also the fifth grandchild of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, following the arrival of Princess Beatrice’s daughter Athena Mapelli Mozzi in January last year.

Eugenie’s latest family video comes eight years after she walked down the aisle in front of a star-studded congregation at Windsor Castle.

For the occasion, she wore a stunning gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, featuring a low back that deliberately revealed the scar from surgery she underwent as a child to correct scoliosis.

She completed the look with the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, loaned to her by the late Queen, and diamond and emerald earrings given to her by Jack as a wedding present.

The ceremony was attended by members of the Royal Family and celebrity guests, while thousands of well-wishers gathered in Windsor to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds.

Following the service, the couple shared a kiss on the chapel steps before travelling through the town in a horse-drawn carriage.

Eugenie and Jack had announced their engagement in January 2018 after he proposed during a holiday in Nicaragua, following a romance that began eight years earlier.

They welcomed their first son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, on February 9, 2021, followed by Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank on May 30, 2023.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced a humiliating retreat last night over claims that he had made “lies” about Russian interference in the Brexit referendum.

In an embarrassing U-turn, Mr Burnham admitted he had no evidence that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 vote—despite making the claim just 24 hours earlier.

Boris Johnson told the Daily Mail yesterday that “Burnham’s Brexit lies have come back to bite him”. Nigel Farage described the Prime Minister’s remarks as “outrageous”, declaring: “The Prime Minister is a liar.”

Despite the climbdown, Mr Burnham vowed to continue his campaign to unpick Brexit, arguing that it would be a “dereliction of duty” to overlook the possibility of establishing a closer relationship with Brussels.

He said maintaining the current arrangement was “not good enough for Britain” and opened the door to restoring free movement with the EU after the next election.

The Prime Minister faced a fierce backlash after reviving discredited conspiracy theories on Sunday, suggesting that Moscow had influenced the referendum result.

Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, co-hosted by former Labour spin chief Alastair Campbell, Mr Burnham said he had asked officials after entering No 10 whether there was evidence that Russia had interfered in the campaign.

“I’ve had the clear answer that yes, there was,” Mr Burnham said. “These things are important now to put clearly on the record.”

Ministers struggled to defend the claim yesterday, forcing Downing Street to clarify that the Prime Minister accepts the referendum result was “legitimate”.

In the Commons, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch challenged the Prime Minister to “publish the evidence that Russia swung the result of the 2016 referendum”. She said: “The Prime Minister implied that the result was illegitimate because of Russian interference. Where has that come from?

“We all remember that in 2018, the head of MI5 said there was no evidence Russia had influenced the EU referendum result.

“Even this morning, the Prime Minister’s own foreign minister could not say whether the evidence existed.”

Mr Burnham insisted he had “implied no such thing”, but conceded that he had no evidence the Kremlin had influenced the vote’s outcome.

“It is a matter of record that Russian actors sought to interfere in the 2019 general election, and we think it is inconceivable that this was the first time,” he said.

Mrs Badenoch said last night: “The busiest job in Westminster is running after the PM with a dustpan and brush, sweeping up whatever he said five minutes earlier.

“Implying the 2016 referendum was illegitimate, until the entire Government communications machine scrambled to clarify what he said… Burnham is all over the place, making statements he clearly hasn’t thought through.”

Ministers in successive governments have repeatedly rejected conspiracy theories alleging Russian involvement in the Brexit result. A 2020 report by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee found no evidence of successful interference.

In January this year, the security minister Dan Jarvis said: ‘Successive governments have not seen any evidence of successful foreign interference in the European Union referendum.’

Last night Mr Johnson accused Mr Burnham of a cynical ploy designed to win over pro-EU Lib Dem and Green voters and said his claims were ‘just not true’.

The former prime minister said the security services had assured him in government that Russia had not successfully interfered in the Brexit result, adding: ‘Either the security services have changed their view – which would be very odd – or Burnham is lying about what he has been told.’

Mr Johnson told the Daily Mail: ‘Burnham will do and say whatever he thinks is expedient. 

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He wants to call an early election and he is trying to give Lib Dem and Green voters enough grounds to believe he might reverse Brexit so that they vote for him.’ 

Meanwhile, Mr Farage told a press conference in Kent: ‘The Prime Minister is a liar. Yes, a liar. When Boris Johnson became foreign secretary, one of the first questions he asked was, ‘Was there seen to be Russian interference in the referendum campaign?’ And the answer was no.

‘There was no Russian interference, and the Russia hoax has run all the way through this… This is an out of touch, out of date Andy Burnham with all sorts of bizarre ideas.’

The PM’s comments are the latest in a series of interventions seemingly designed to discredit the referendum result as he moves to unpick the Brexit deal.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to New York last month, Mr Burnham stopped short of directly blaming Moscow but claimed that Brexit had been driven by ‘outside forces’ trying to ‘manipulate opinion’.

‘I’m reflecting on that last decade,’ he said. ‘What we’ve experienced is that turbulence comes when outside actors seek to manipulate, to distort facts [and] influence the British democratic process.’

In a speech to the United Nations the following day, he said Russia was spending £1.3billion a year on manipulating information. 

‘We’re talking about an insidious campaign that reaches into people’s homes and twists what they feel about their own country and community – creating a narrative of decline, stoking division and sowing despair.’

Tory frontbencher Ben Obese-Jecty said the PM was ‘clearly laying the groundwork for rejoining [the EU] by casting doubt on the result and throwing red meat to his base’.

Mr Burnham said he would use a summit with the EU in Brussels on November 20 to discuss options for a closer relationship with Europe. He has previously said this could include going ‘all the way’ and rejoining.

He told the Commons yesterday that the public mood on Brexit had changed since 2016 and insisted the ‘British people will be the boss of whatever is decided’.

But he sowed confusion about whether the public would get a direct say on any deal, saying: ‘No one… today is proposing a referendum.’

Mrs Badenoch said the PM’s bid to cosy up to Brussels made a mockery of his claim during the Makerfield by-election in June that ‘the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments’ about Brexit.

The PM insisted yesterday that a closer deal with the EU could boost growth, telling MPs: ‘Sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain. Worse, it would be a major dereliction of duty to turn away.

‘We need to take a calm, clear-eyed, rational look at the world as it is today, to consider what is best for our country.’ He said Labour would stick to its manifesto ‘red lines’ on the single market, customs union and free movement during this Parliament.

But he refused to rule out a return to free movement after the next election, despite concerns among some Red Wall Labour MPs.

Pendle and Clitheroe MP Jonathan Hinder asked Mr Burnham to guarantee that ‘as long as he is Prime Minister, there will be no return to freedom of movement’.

The PM said he would ‘fully respect’ Labour’s manifesto, but added: ‘We have to look at the options that are available for the long-term relationship.

‘In the next decade, this country needs to know where it is going. There are no assumptions here.’

Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock last night said ‘Burnham’s objective is to join’ the EU again.

A former EU commissioner, he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: ‘He’s always been a committed pro-European. In the by-election, he rightly didn’t make a noise about it.’