Monster 'Dad' jailed for sickening child sex crimes

His 21-month reign of terror began when she was just 13 years old.

A Gympie region man repeatedly committed sickening sex offences on a girl who thought he was her biological father. Picture: Contributed

A GYMPIE region man who repeatedly committed sickening sex offences on a girl who thought he was her biological father could be released from jail as early as May next year.

The 53-three-year-old's 21-month reign of terror over his victim began when she was just 13 years old, on or about March 31, 2016, the Gympie District Court heard this week.

The court heard the offending began when the man told the victim to have a shower in the ensuite next to his bedroom, and lay naked on his bed when she walked in.

He told his victim to sit on his lap when she came out of the shower, and she recalled being made to face him and wrap her legs around his waist.

He then moved in a way to simulate sex, but did not penetrate her. The court heard his penis touched her vagina and bottom while the victim was crying and asking to leave.

The victim recalled those initial offences occurred about 10 times in three months, before briefly stopping and re-starting when they moved to a different town in the region.

The man asked his victim to lay on the bed naked and laid on top of her naked on two occasions, the court heard, on one occasion putting his finger near her vagina and moving forward so she could feel his penis.

Another time his penis "went up a bit and a bit inside", according to the victim's statements.

The court heard the victim's mother, the man's partner at the time, was in the room at times and asked her to sit on his lap, and on other occasions told her the man "wanted to see her".

After attempting to deny his demands another time, the victim was kept naked in his room and forced to stay awake for two days, lying on the floor with just a sheet covering her body, the court heard.

The victim recalled the man eventually pulled the sheet off her, telling her she "should've done what she was told".

On another occasion he put his hands around her neck and held her against the bathroom wall, unable to breathe, for at least 40 seconds when she got dressed instead of coming to the room naked.

He then threw her to the ground and struck her twice to the ribs.

The victim told her mother and sister afterwards, and the man again said she "should have done what she was told" when her mother confronted him.

The victim eventually told a friend what the man was doing, which led to police and Child Safety being informed first on February 21, 2018.

The man denied allegations at first and told police he had not had sex with the child or forced her to do anything sexual.

On June 6, he approached two children - who had been living under his care "for a time" - at the Gympie Central Shopping Centre and told them to "tell police everything you said was a lie". That incident was captured on CCTV.

He was brought back in and charged on July 9 last year.

The man pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, four counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault and attempting to pervert justice.

Judge Suzanne Sheridan said the man's crimes were a "gross breach" of the victim's trust, saying she "must have felt completely isolated" given her mother had also been involved in his offending.

Judge Sheridan sentenced the man to five-and-a-half years' jail, with parole eligibility set for May 9 next year.

She noted he had served 371 days in pre-sentence custody.

Originally published as Monster 'Dad' jailed for sickening child sex crimes