An Adelaide grandfather who sexually abused his three step-granddaughters has been jailed for 18 years for causing “irreparable harm” to the girls and their parents.
Key points:
- The victims were each aged about 10 when the offending commenced
- The abuse came to light when one of the victims told a school counsellor about it
- The guilty man will be eligible for parole when he is 84
The 70-year-old — who cannot be named for legal reasons — pleaded guilty to two counts of persistent exploitation of a child and maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child between 2014 and 2020.
The victims were his three step-grandchildren, who were each aged about 10 when the offending began.
“You have caused irreparable harm to your three step-granddaughters and their parents,” District Court Chief Judge Michael Evans said.
“Your criminal conduct was a gross abuse of trust.”
Abuse happened at his house
Judge Evans said the defendant would abuse the girls when he was alone with them, often in his back computer room, where they would stay on weekends.
He first started offending in 2014, with his eldest step-granddaughter, until she got a boyfriend.
The criminal conduct recommenced when she broke up with that boyfriend, until she began another relationship, at which point the defendant moved on to his other step-grandchildren.
Judge Evans said the defendant would tell the girls: “You can’t tell anyone I’m doing this or I’ll get into trouble”.
The court heard his last known offending was when the youngest step-granddaughter was suspended from school and was being looked after by the defendant.
“You asked her if she liked it, to which she replied ‘no’,” Judge Evans said.
“You then told her: ‘OK, well just don’t tell anyone or I will go to jail’.”
His offending came to light when that girl told a school counsellor her grandfather had inappropriately touched her.
File: ABC News
)Girls scared into staying silent
Judge Evans said the girls were too scared to say anything and their lives had fallen apart, and their parents also blamed themselves for the crimes carried out by one of their “most trusted people in the world”.
“One of the many tragedies of what you did is that other people feel that what happened is in some way their fault,” Judge Evans said.
“You betrayed their trust and took advantage of the relationship you once shared with them.
“There is only one person to blame for these crimes and that is you.”
The court heard the man’s upbringing was “normal”.
He joined the army at age 18 and worked his way up through the ranks.
The court also heard his wife of about 20 years remained supportive of her husband, despite being ostracised from the rest of her family.
Judge Evans said the man — who had no criminal history — was remorseful and sorry for his crimes, to which he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Judge Evans sentenced him to 18 years in jail.
He will be eligible for parole in 14 years and four months — at the age of 84.
