The violations, which began when she was 5 and ended when she was 9, had stripped her of all self-confidence and left her unable to hold down full-time employment throughout her adult life, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
Henry Malcolm (36) was found guilty of five counts of sexual violation and one of doing an indecent act, following a jury trial.
Judge David Robinson yesterday jailed him for four and a-half years.
Malcolm, a father of two, told a probation officer in an interview before sentencing that he had no memory of the sex offences he committed when he was a teen.
He had worked as a truck driver before advancing up the corporate ladder to the role of operations manager of a transport company, the court heard.
The judge noted the numerous letters that had been filed in support of Malcolm.
"You can be justly proud of the reputation you hold," he said.
Malcolm’s offending began as early as 2001 when he took the victim away from others at a gathering and abused her in a bathroom.
There was a hiatus of several years in the crimes until the defendant was 19.
On one occasion, the victim woke to find Malcolm had carried her into another bedroom while she was asleep.
He violated her as her sibling slept nearby, the court heard.
There were other incidents where the man separated her from others to commit the invasive acts — once in a garage and once in bush while the girl’s family were playing sport close by.
In a tearful statement the victim said she carried the burden of the secret until it became too heavy to bear.
"I was led to believe I shouldn’t speak of the situation at all. That’s what I tried to do my whole life," she said.
"I just couldn’t carry it on my own any more."
The trauma she suffered meant even leaving the house for a walk was a challenge, and her anxiety and paranoia around strangers resulted in panic attacks.
She told the court that since she had disclosed what had happened, she had been doing counselling and had been diagnosed with PTSD.
"I feel like he ripped my whole childhood away from me," the victim said.
Judge Robinson called the impact on her "profound".
"I hope the vindication of the evidence being accepted by the jury provides you a measure of closure," he said.
