A man who was sexually abused by a Kyabram church pianist when he was a child told the court he “lived in terror” of further abuse.
Geoffrey Norman Anderson, 70, of Kyabram pleaded guilty at Bendigo County Court to two charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four charges of an indecent act with or in the presence of a child under 16.
The court heard Anderson groomed the victim while he was his piano teacher, after they met through the Uniting church in Kyabram.
It was during these piano lessons at Anderson’s home and also at the church that the offending occurred between 2000 and 2004, starting when the victim was 12 and Anderson was 49.
Reading his victim impact statement over video link, the victim said he felt “robbed” of his childhood, and that the effects of the offending were enduring.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what was done to me,” he told the court.
The court heard Anderson had told the victim he shouldn’t tell the police because what they had was special and they had agreed to do it.
The prosecutor said materials tendered to the court showed a “degree of victim blaming and avoidance of personal responsibility” by Anderson.
He said there was a significant and gross breach of trust of the victim, the victim’s family, the church and the community.
“While true, he might have done good things within the church organisation, he used his position of trust and respect in the community to commit these offences,” the prosecutor said.
Anderson’s lawyer said his client had enjoyed an “excellent reputation” in the Kyabram community prior to the allegations becoming public, following decades of volunteering and service to his community.
He said the impact of the court proceedings on Anderson’s standing in a small community – becoming a “recluse” and having his house pelted with rocks – was a form of extra-curial punishment.
The court heard Anderson had lived a closeted life of “perpetual guilt and shame” towards his homosexuality as a devout Christian and never had a partner or serious relationships.
Judge Claire Quin said the abuse of children was a “heinous crime” and Anderson had been aware that his 12-year-old victim had been in pain at the time of the more serious crimes.
Judge Quin sentenced Anderson to six years and 10 months in jail, with a non-parole period of four years.
Anderson will be subject to reporting conditions as a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.