Ex-CEO Kerry Blackman jailed over 'persistent' sexual assaults on young woman

A former CEO of a Queensland-based development corporation has been sentenced to 18 months in jail with parole after being convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman on multiple occasions.

Kerry Blackman, the ex-chief executive of the Gidarjil Development Corporation, faced a sentencing hearing in the District Court in Bundaberg on Monday. The court heard that Blackman's offending was "persistent and protracted", and involved aggressive and unwanted physical advancements on the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Victim impact statement

The victim told the court that her life had been changed "profoundly" by Blackman's actions.

"It has taken away a sense of stability … my sense of trust, dignity and belonging in my whole community," she said.

"I no longer recognise the woman I was."

She said she had turned to alcohol to cope with "silent battles with my mental health".

"I used to be a happy, free-spirited woman. That person feels very far from me now," she said.

Court proceedings

The court heard that the offending occurred between 2017 and 2023, and included an incident where Blackman confronted the woman outside a toilet and bit her ear and grabbed her bottom.

Crown prosecutor Kate Thamm described Blackman's offending as "opportunistic" and said he showed no remorse for his actions.

Blackman was awarded an honorary doctorate from a local university in 2017, but it was revoked after the charges were laid in 2024.

Defence lawyer Jordan Ahlstrand told the court that Blackman's employment at Gidarjil was terminated after the charges.

Sentence handed down

In handing down the sentence, Judge John Allen said Blackman's offending was "persistent and protracted".

"Your offending was an abuse of power," he said.

The judge noted that Blackman had no other criminal history and was "otherwise a person of good character" who had made "significant contributions to the community over decades".

Blackman, 69, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and will be eligible for parole after serving 50 per cent of the sentence.