“[He] felt the man [he] connected with cared for and was nice to [him], and due to her low self-esteem, lack of assertiveness, loneliness, submissiveness and desperation to be noticed and cared for, it was easy for him to pick up on [his] vulnerability and manipulate [him] into the master/slave relationship where he took control of [his] life. He then involved [him] in sexual exchanges and then coerced [him] to sexually abuse [his] daughter and take videos and photos to share with him. [He] was not inherently motivated by deviant sexual interests or any other motive, except doing what he told [him] and keeping him happy, to sexually abuse [his] daughter.”

While Harper's defense said he began identifying as female in 2019, photos uncovered by Reduxx from that year show him with a "notably masculine appearance." The photos are featured in the article image.

Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis ultimately accepted the arguments of Darjee and the defense that Harper only committed the abuse to be “validated … as a woman and a sexual person.” The judge took into consideration possible experiences with "transphobia" and "gender dysphoria" when she handed down the 4-year and 9-month prison sentence, citing the perpetrator's "homophobic and hateful" upbringing and his ex-partner's unwillingness to accept his new gender identity as possible factors for his committing vile acts on his daughter.

“Compounding matters, you had only started to transition in around 2021 and your gender identity was not fully accepted by those around you, including [ex-partner]. Your Counsel submits that at the relevant time you were ‘completely lacking connection in [your] life’ and were experiencing ‘pervasive feelings of rejection and lack of self-worth,'” the Judge stated.

Harper will be eligible for parole 2 years and 6 months into his sentence. Karapanagiotidis noted “the sentence that I am about to impose on this charge is lower than the standard sentence," which carries a maximum of 25 years behind bars.