The man, aged in his 30s, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after a jury earlier found him guilty of three charges of sexual conduct with an under-12 and one of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
The victim’s mother told the court her daughter had been ‘‘brimming with confidence’’ before the defendant entered their lives.
It was the girl’s passion for her chosen hobby that had been her ‘‘lifesaver’’.
‘‘No matter what [he] did to her and how it affected her, she will not allow his actions impact what she’s committed to,’’ the mother said.
‘‘She’s stronger than what [he] did ... She has determination and purpose. Nothing will ever take that away from her.’’
Judge David Robinson granted the defendant name suppression to protect the identity of the victim.
The man had moved into the family home more than five years ago while on bail and subject to a sentence.
During that time, the court heard he targeted the girl, molesting her over her clothing on several occasions.
If she tried to escape the defendant’s grasp, he ‘‘pinned her’’ harder so she was unable to move.
The most serious incident occurred when the victim was on the couch under a blanket and the man violated her.
Crown prosecutor Craig Power said the crimes were ‘‘clearly brazen’’ given the evidence heard at trial that the girl’s parents were nearby at various times.
Counsel Andrew Dawson stressed the brevity of the worst episode but accepted it was a flagrant breach of trust given the familial link and the age disparity between the parties.
The defendant’s mother wrote a reference to the court saying she had noticed a change in her son and a willingness to address his issues, but the judge noted the man maintained his innocence in interviews with Probation.
If that continued, it would affect his ability to undertake rehabilitative work in jail and his ultimate risk in the eyes of the Parole Board, Judge Robinson said.
A cultural report on the defendant’s background said domestic violence had been normalised during his formative years and he had likely suffered feelings of abandonment because of the breakdown of his parents’ marriage.
But the judge said those factors did not provide a causative link to the sex crimes he had committed.
The victim’s mother said when she heard what had happened to her daughter, she discovered the true meaning of ‘‘furious’’.
She had since worked to repress the fury, for it to ‘‘sit quietly in a dark corner’’.
‘‘I’ve never in my life hated someone like I do now,’’ the woman told the court.
‘‘You hurt my baby. Now you are nothing.’’
Because of the sentence of imprisonment, the defendant was automatically added to the Child Sex Offender Register.
