“You absolutely knew what you were doing was wrong.”
Those were the words of a judge when sentencing a man to more than 17 years in prison for sexually abusing his three step-daughters over almost seven years.
The 49-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Shepparton County Court to five counts of sexual penetration of a step-child, sexual assault of a child aged 16 to 17 under his care, supervision or authority, two counts of sexual assault of a child aged under 16 years, sexual assault, committing an indecent act with a child under 16, and two counts of grooming a child under 16 for sexual conduct.
The man abused the girls at their home in the Goulburn Valley, at several other places they lived throughout Victoria, and in motel rooms between 2016 and February 2023.
The grooming of one of the girls started when she was 12 years old and the man normalised the girl sleeping in the same bed as him, and showering together.
He also gave her a commitment ring for her 13th birthday, with her understanding that meant they were in a relationship.
When the girl was 14, the man started to sexually assault and rape her, with charges being laid for a few particular occasions, but the court being told it was happening to her almost daily.
When the girl was 17 or 18, the man and two of the girls lived in the country while their mother worked and stayed in the city during the week.
During that time, the girl would sleep in the man’s bed, and he would have sex with her almost daily.
He had also opened a bank account in both their names and told her the money was for when he would leave his wife and marry her and have a child with her.
The offending against this girl was the longest, lasting from the ages of 12 to 18 years.
The court was told the man began grooming a second daughter in 2019 when she was 14 years old.
From mid-2020, after the first step-daughter had ended things with him, the man would regularly sexually assault the second girl by touching her daily.
The offending lasted until after she had turned 18.
The man groomed a third daughter when they would go on trips in 2016, showing her pornography when she was 12 or 13 and kissing her when she was 14.
In sentencing the man, Judge Pardeep Tiwana referred to victim impact statements made by the three victims and their mother.
The main victim told how the man still “haunted her” and that she had trouble trusting people.
“I thought if I told anyone it would destroy their life and my life,” the girl said.
The second victim told how “the best years of my teenage life were taken away by you”.
The third girl said she still “remains fearful” of the man.
“Sexual offending ruins the lives of those who are offended against and their loved ones,” Judge Tiwana said.
“Your offending had wreaked havoc in an innocent family you were part of.”
Judge Tiwana said the man breached the trust of his step-daughters and wife in a “devastating manner”.
He said the offending against the main victim was “particularly heinous”.
“You absolutely knew what you were doing was wrong,” Judge Tiwana said.
The judge noted the defence counsel’s mitigating factors that included his early plea to the charges and that he was of prior good character, including doing volunteer work in the community.
The man was sentenced to a total of 17 years and three months in prison.
A non-parole period of 13 years was also set.
The 451 days he has spent in pre-sentence detention awaiting the finalisation of the matter in court will count as time already served.
The man was also listed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
GV Centre Against Sexual Assault provides free and confidential counselling, information, advocacy and support to people who have been affected by sexual assault. Call 1800 112 343 or visit gvcasa.com.au