Terence Lewis "Terry" Martin (born 4 November 1957,
Hobart) is a former independent member of the
Tasmanian Legislative Council
The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, ...
in the
Electoral division of Elwick. In 2011 he was convicted of creating child pornography and having sex with a 12-year-old girl.
Biography
He is the son of former Tasmanian MHA
Terry Martin Sr.
He was first elected in May 2004 as a member of the
Labor Party but was expelled from the parliamentary Labor party after
crossing the floor
In parliamentary systems, politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a different political party than which they were initially elected under (as is the case in Canada and the United Kingdom). ...
to vote against a bill concerning a pulp mill. He then sat as an independent.
Prior to entering parliament he had been Mayor of
Glenorchy since 1990. Even after he was elected to parliament he remained in this role until after local government elections in October 2005.
On 30 October 2009 Martin appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court charged with having sex with a 12-year-old girl. He pleaded not guilty.
Martin did not nominate for re-election in 2010 and his term expired on 30 April 2010.
On 21 November 2011 he was convicted of creating child pornography and having sex with a 12-year-old girl.
On 29 November 2011 he was handed a wholly suspended sentence, with the judge finding that the medication Martin was taking for
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
had been a significant factor in his actions, and stating that there was "no likelihood" that Martin would reoffend. The judge said that Martin's offence was directly related to medication for Parkinson's Disease which caused hypersexual desire, leading Martin to seek out 162 sex workers, one of whom was the 12-year-old, who was prostituted by her mother and a pimp. Martin was one of 100 men who had sex with the 12-year-old girl in September 2009. Martin said he thought the girl was 18.
Ex-MP guilty of sex with child prostitute
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See also
* Child sexual abuse in Australia
References
External links
Terry Martin's inaugural speech to parliament
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Terry
Independent members of the Parliament of Tasmania
Australian politicians convicted of crimes
Australian rapists
1957 births
Living people
Mayors of places in Tasmania
Members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council
Australian people convicted of child sexual abuse
People convicted of child pornography offenses
Politicians from Hobart
People with Parkinson's disease
Politicians convicted of sex offences
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Tasmania
21st-century Australian politicians