Mount Gambier grandfather who sexually abused 4yo child sentenced

A Mount Gambier man who played a vile “cat game” when sexually abusing his four-year-old granddaughter told doctors she was too young to be traumatised, a court has heard.

A Mount Gambier man who sexually abused his four-year-old granddaughter regularly played a bizarre “cat game” where he would lick the girl, a court has heard.

The 74-year-old grandfather, who performed sex acts on the child, told doctors he felt encouraged to continue his offending because the child “giggled” and “laughed” after he first sexually assaulted her, the court heard.

He has not been identified in order to protect the identity of his victim.

Following a judge-alone trial in the Mount Gambier District Court, the man was found guilty of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child and unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14.

The man has since openly admitted his offending after Judge Geraldine Davison’s verdict.

A Mount Gambier man will spend at least four years behind bars for sexually abusing his four-year-old granddaughter after bathing her, a court has heard

However, when speaking to a psychologist, the man said the victim was too young to be traumatised by his offending, the court heard.

Though he has now admitted his guilt, Judge Davison said the man made his family sit through a trial over his reprehensible actions.

Since his arrest the man has attempted to take his own life twice, the court heard.

The Mount Gambier man was caught admitting to the vile offending by secretly installed nanny cameras, a court has heard.

According to court documents, the alleged offending is said to have occurred between January 2019 and February 2020.

During his trial prosecutor Keryn Park told the Mount Gambier District Court the allegations first came to light during a conversation with the young girl and her mother.

After hearing her account, the girl’s parents purchased a number of nanny cameras - setting them up in the ensuite bathroom.

When the defendant came to the house to babysit the alleged victim, two days later, they instructed him to use only the ensuite bathroom, as the other had been just cleaned with bleach.

Covert cameras captured a conversation between the accused and the alleged victim in the ensuite bathroom.

In the recording, the accused questioned the girl about why she had told her mother, the court heard.

“I told you not to tell - that was our secret,” the accused said.

The pair reported the matter to police where they turned over the captured videos.

Judge Davison sentenced the man to eight years imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years and six months.

His sentence was backdated to his August 12 arrest.