Gavin Wayne Gough, whose name suppression lapsed last week, was jailed for four years, 10 months when he appeared before the Dunedin District Court.
Despite pleading guilty to two charges of indecency with an under-12 and one of rape, the 64-year-old claimed he had been the subject of a conspiracy.
During an interview with Probation before sentencing, Gough suggested the victim and another girl got together and concocted the allegations to "nail" him.
"You’re in denial, it seems, Mr Gough," Judge Michael Turner said.
"You say you’re not sexually attracted to children."
The court heard the defendant had committed other indecencies against children through the 1990s, while the more recent charges came from 2001-03, taking his total conviction tally to eight.
The first molestation occurred when Gough lived in South Canterbury and the crimes escalated later when he came to Otago.
While babysitting the victim, he coaxed her into a bedroom and violated her.
The ordeal for the girl was compounded when Gough made her shower and washed her roughly with soap.
When approached by police last year, he denied the allegations but later made general admissions.
"After being arrested the defendant said he was horny at the time and regrets having those emotions," a police summary said.
Crown prosecutor Craig Power said the impact on the victim was serious and ongoing.
Gough’s claim that he had no sexual interest in children was "simply implausible", he said.
Counsel Andrew Dawson said his client’s comments could be attributed to his cognitive difficulties or to the fact he was interviewed recently after being incarcerated.
He said the defendant was keen to undergo all appropriate treatment but Mr Power pointed out the man had previously been exited from a specialist sex-offender programme because of non-compliance.
Counselling would only be successful if Gough acknowledged his wrongdoing, Judge Turner stressed.
"I emphasise, until you accept your offending in full, until you gain insight into the harm you’ve caused, therapeutic interventions to reduce the risk of reoffending are unlikely to be successful," he said.
Gough’s imprisonment will mean he is automatically added to the Child Sex Offender Register.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
