Gympie man pleads guilty to sexual assault, rape of granddaughter

A ‘predatory’ granddad who put his granddaughter through a four-hour ordeal was caught staring at her bare legs in the weeks leading up to his attack.

A “predatory” 70-year-old man has faced a Gympie court after molesting and raping his granddaughter for four hours in her own bedroom.

A “predatory” 70-year-old man has faced court after molesting and raping his granddaughter for four hours in her own bedroom.

The man, who cannot be identified, faced Gympie District Court for his heinous crime as his victim and her sister watched on.

The court heard the victim first noticed the man staring at her legs when she was wearing shorts, but dismissed it.

Crown Prosecutor Michael Andronicus said on the night of the molestation and rape, the man and his victim were alone in the house.

He first approached her from behind while she was making dinner, pressing his body close to hers, and then later joined her on the couch while she was using social media.

During their conversation the girl opened up on her own insecurities, at which point he said she was “beautiful” and asked her if she “knew how to please herself”.

He then started kissing her legs, and put his hand inside her shirt and pants, but she resisted and went to her bedroom.

Mr Andronicus said about 10pm the same night, the man called the girl’s mobile but she did not answer.

A “predatory” 70-year-old grandfather has faced a Gympie court after molesting and raping his granddaughter for four hours in her own bedroom.

He then went into her bedroom, sat down and hugged her, and over the next four hours sexually assaulted and digitally raped her, including at one point telling her “you need to tell me if you like it”.

The court heard she tried to resist him by grabbing his wrist and trying to push him off her several times before he finally left her room.

She then messaged a friend, went to her house, and waited outside in the early hours of the morning before knocking on her door.

The girl’s mother then confronted the man the next day, at which point he made some admissions, the court heard.

His young victim read her own impact statement to the court, saying his crimes had made her “more vulnerable than I already was” and “placed roadblocks in my everyday life”.

“I will overcome this, I will overcome you.”

The girl’s sister also read a statement to the court, calling her grandfather’s actions “absolutely disgusting and selfish”.

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The man’s teenage victim, his granddaughter, told the court his crimes affected her deeply and made her more vulnerable than she already was. The girl’s sister said his actions were “absolutely disgusting and selfish”. Photo Patrick Woods / Gympie Times

Mr Andronicus said the man’s actions were “persistent and predatory”.

The 70-year-old’s defence lawyer said his client expressed “deep shame” for his actions and was “remorseful”.

He had “lost his entire family” as a result.

His criminal history did not include any instances of similar offending.

He had been violently assaulted while in custody, suffering injuries including a broken jaw, facial fractures, an arm injury and injuries to his teeth, the court was told.

Judge Rosengren accepted the man’s guilty pleas to one count of rape and five counts of sexual assault, telling him his crimes were a “gross abuse of trust and betrayal”.

“She made it really clear to you this was not OK.”

He had left his granddaughter with the “horrible choice” of talking about the assault at risk of having her family kicked out of the home.

She sentenced him to three-and-a-half years’ jail, and with 369 days already severed, suspended the remainder of the sentence for four years and ordered his immediate release.

Originally published as Gympie man pleads guilty to sexual assault, rape of granddaughter