DETECTIVES had to crack a “veil of silence” to uncover years of sex abuse carried out by a married couple against two girls in a remote Kimberley community.
“They were guarding a secret, and they were guarding it well, and they had guarded it well for years,” Detective Sergeant Tom Doyle said.
The exhaustive investigation, in which 25 convictions were secured against Darren (Darryl) John Morgan and Shirley Ann Bulsey, ended an 18-month probe that saw 109 charges laid against mostly powerful men from the community of Oombulgurri, 2300km northeast of Perth.
The charges followed a number of other investigations into child sex abuse across the Kimberley, but police say the Oombulgurri cases were the hardest to investigate because of the influence of domineering brothers — the Morgans — and one other prominent community leader. “Oombulgurri was always going to be the hardest nut to crack because of the influence. It was almost like organised crime,” Sergeant Doyle said.
The investigation began in mid-2007 after persistent rumours of child sex abuse. It took about a year for Sergeant Doyle and his team to establish the trust of alleged victims before charges could be laid.
Morgan’s and Bulsey’s convictions are among three secured by prosecutors.
Morgan was considered an uncle by the two girls he committed 21 offences against. At the time, he was the community’s head warden, a position of authority that saw him responsible for ensuring children went to school.
He was found guilty of raping and indecently dealing with the girls on numerous occasions between 1994 and 1999 when the girls were aged between 12 and 15.
Bulsey was found guilty of effectively “preparing” the girls to be raped by Morgan and of two counts of digital penetration.
Morgan received 10 years’ jail and his wife four years and nine months.
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