Tablelands stepfather found guilty of sexually abusing young daughter

A man in his 30s who sexually abused the little girl he had helped raise from when she was a baby has been told to stay away from the Burnett.

A stepdad who was the only father a young girl had known has been locked up for sexually abusing her over a 12 month period. Photo: Celeste Muller

A stepfather in his 30s who was the only father a young girl had ever known has been locked up for sexually abusing her for a year.

The Tablelands man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of repeated sexual conduct with a child and two counts of indecent dealing with a child under 12 years by a jury in Kingaroy District Court on April 9, 2025.

Court documents revealed the young girl, who was 10 or 11 at the time of the attacks, told police her stepfather would come into her bedroom at night and sexually abuse her.

Court documents revealed the young girl, who was 10 or 11 at the time of the offending, told police her stepdad would come into her bedroom at night and sexually abuse her. Photo: Stock image

She said the abuse happened “regularly” between early 2023 and May 2024 at two different homes in and around the Burnett.

Judge Vicki Loury told the court the man had broken the trust of his “daughter” and her mother, who he had been in a long-term relationship with.

“One of the serious aggravating features of your offending is that you were her father, and your conduct has involved an egregious breach of her trust and that of her mother,” Judge Loury said.

“You had been in her life since she was a baby.

“She referred to you as ‘Dad’ and you are the only man that she has known as her father.”

The 30-year-old man was charged with one count of repeated sexual conduct with a child and two counts of indecent dealing with a child under 12 years, pictured outside Kingaroy District Court on February 17, 2025. Photo: Celeste Muller

The court heard the man had a limited criminal history and no previous convictions of crimes against children.

He was reportedly diagnosed with several health problems that left him in “significant pain”.

The court heard the pain disrupted his sleep, and was “the reason that (he) would be up during the night at the time that (he) was offending against the complainant”.

The defendant was not in custody during the trial, and had been ordered to stay away from the Burnett.

The court heard he was living with his parents in the Tablelands region during this time, with his mother supporting him and present in court throughout the trial.

Judge Loury sentenced the man to four and a half years in prison, to be considered eligible for parole after serving two years and three months.