Christopher Matthew Henaghan

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

Christopher Matthew Henaghan, an experienced solicitor, was convicted and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment (suspended after 20 months) for maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child aged 9-12 over 2012-2014. He admitted the conduct amounted to professional misconduct and accepted he should be struck off. QCAT found professional misconduct, held he was not a fit and proper person and likely permanently unfit, recommended removal from the roll, and ordered him to pay the Commissioner's costs.

Duties found breached:

• Personal probity and fitness to practise
• No baseless or threatened misconduct report

Aggravating factors:

• Sustained offending over approximately two years
• Complainant was a child aged 9-12; respondent aged 53-55
• Breach of trust of the complainant and her family (respondent related to complainant)
• Conduct more sustained and serious than comparable cases
• Sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, suspended after 20 months

Mitigating factors:

• Admitted and accepted the conduct and characterisation
• Did not contest that his name should be removed from the roll
• Served his term of imprisonment