Vile Adelaide stepfather who sexually assaulted girl as ‘punishment’ has been jailed

A man who oversaw a depraved household of “cruel punishments” has been jailed for twice sexually assaulting his stepdaughter who was trying to protect her sister.

A man who tied up and sexually assaulted his stepdaughter the night before her fifth birthday, and again abused her years later as “punishment” because she tried to protect her younger sister, will spend at least seven years in jail.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim, told the young girl he was “going to play a game” with her before tying her to her bed and abusing her.

About five years later, when the girl was then aged 10, she tried to protect her younger sister from being physically assaulted.

The stepfather hit the girl, then dragged her by her hair to her bedroom and again sexually assaulted her to “teach her a lesson” in a “particularly cruel and depraved incident”.

In sentencing, Judge Geraldine Davison said the man’s “heinous” offending was “manipulating” and “terrifying” for the young girl.

She said it occurred against a background of “significant” violence against the two sisters, for which he was not charged.

“Not only were they subjected to acts of physical violence by both you and their mother, they were also subjected to cruel punishments and other acts of depravity,” she said.

“Compliance with your demands was required and punishment metered out if there was any defiance. The living conditions in this household were deplorable.”

A stepfather has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young child.

She said the man could not be punished for those acts of violence but they provided “an insight into the manipulation and coercion” which prevented the girl from seeking help from authorities.

Judge Davison said the girl, who was now aged in her 20s, had developed “a psychosis due to the trauma of the abuse” and suffered night terrors and flashbacks. She said the offending, which occurred between about 2003 and 2010, was likely to have a lifelong effect on the girl.

She said the man was in a “volatile” relationship with the girl’s mother, who had her own vulnerabilities and disabilities that meant she was unable to protect her children.

She said the man had also suffered cruelty and trauma as a child, including physical and sexual abuse and suffers chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and has a “complex mental health presentation”.

She said the man had first used drugs at five and began smoking cannabis daily at 12.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse over the incidents.

She imposed a head sentence for both offences of nine years, seven months and 25 days and set a non-parole period of seven years, eight months and 20 days.

“The paramount consideration for the court is the need to protect children from such heinous offending,” she said.