Counsel for an intellectually disabled man found guilty of sexually touching a girl argued that his conviction was unsafe and should be quashed. However, Richard Horseman, counsel for Sousa-Saints, said the conviction was a miscarriage of justice and the sentence was manifestly excessive given the man’s mental health circumstances. Magistrate Auralee Cassidy initially dismissed the case against Sousa-Saints, stating that while she believed the victim, the defendant’s mental impairment hindered his understanding of his actions. That ruling was subsequently overturned by Puisne Judge Alan Richards, who found Ms Cassidy had misapplied the medical evidence of the case. At a sentencing hearing in March, Ms Cassidy convicted Sousa-Saints of the offence and handed down a two-year prison sentence, which was rapidly appealed.