Greensborough man abuses grandchildren, claims they consented

A Greensborough man who repeatedly sexually abused his young grandchildren told police they knew what they were doing when they agreed to it.

The grandfather pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the young girls.

A Greensborough man who sexually abused his young grandchildren told police the girls — all aged under 9 — knew what they were doing and consented to the sex acts.

The 65-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to three charges of persistently sexually abusing a child under 16 at the County Court on Thursday, November 19.

The court heard the man repeatedly abused the three girls from January 2019 to March 2020 when he regularly babysat them.

He performed lewd acts in front of them and penetrated each of the victims, including while having them watch porn with him.

The abuse came to an end when one of the girls cried and begged her mum not to go to grandpa’s house, revealing what had been occurring.

The man was arrested that day and admitted the crimes to police, telling them the girls consented.

His lawyer told the court his client didn’t really know why he had abused the girls, but that his partner was distracted at the time and not meeting his sexual needs.

Judge Rosemary Carlin noted the benefit of his admissions, but said it was incomprehensible that a man with his intelligence and circumstances — had had no criminal history — could have such a “warped attitude”.

The court heard from the children’s tearful father, who revealed how the crimes had devastated his family, his daughters and his marriage.

He said as a father he had always worried about protecting his daughters, but never thought he would have to keep them safe from a family member.

The father said he had already witnessed a significant psychological impact on his daughters.

The prosecutor pointed out the man’s “extremely serious” offending based on his “depraved lust” was premeditated, with the man taking cream to perform a lewd act on one occasion he met the girls.

The man will be sentenced in December.