A group of people linked to a Blue Mountains circus school, who are charged with repeatedly raping and abusing three young boys, can be named after a Sydney court lifted a suppression order.
Therese Ann Cook, 58, her brother Paul Christopher Cook, 52, Yyani Cook-Williams, 29, and Clarissa Meredith, 23, are among a group of seven people who are collectively facing 127 charges including kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault of a child and making child abuse material.
The four are related, with three living in the same Katoomba home and one living in Canterbury in Sydney's south-west.
Magistrate Stephen Corry on February 8 decided in favour of five media organisations when he agreed in Penrith Local Court to lift the suppression order that had concealed their identities.
One of the boys who was allegedly assaulted was just three years old at the time of the first assault, court documents reveal.
Detectives allege Therese Ann Cook first abused two of the boys - aged three and seven - in 2015 before her co-accused became involved at a later date.
Supporters of Ms Cook were in court when the matter was mentioned on Tuesday, February 6. She is charged with 43 of the offences, including having sexual intercourse with a child under 10, and is accused of being present while multiple rapes occurred. The alleged abuse of the three boys, who police say were all younger than eight, reportedly included sadistic sex acts and "blood rituals".
Court documents allege the boys were raped, assaulted, filmed to make child abuse material, deprived of their liberty and threatened so they feared "physical or mental harm". Some of the alleged assaults happened with more than one of the adults present, while others were allegedly filmed on a mobile phone.
Ms Meredith is accused of raping one of the boys seven times, detaining him to obtain gratification, assaulting him, and threatening him.
A 17-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were also arrested on Monday, February 5 after a long investigation by the Child Abuse Squad.
The trio appeared at a children's court on February 6, where they did not apply for bail on charges including aggravated kidnapping, sexual intercourse with a child under 10, and aggravated sexual assault. The 18-year-old was charged with 42 of the 127 total offences.
The four who can now be named entered pleas of not guilty.
Lawyer Bryan Wrench, who is representing the group, told the court the accused denied the allegations.
“They simply say 'we didn't do this and there is another side to this story’,” Mr Wrench said.
He said the four adults had never been in custody before and intended to apply for bail on February 16. The others will return to court in March.
- AAP, Fairfax Media
