A MAN who molested his step-daughter when she was aged between 10 and 14 bought her a mock wedding ring and sexually explicit underwear, a court has heard.
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The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced on Friday at Bendigo County Court on 14 charges, including 11 charges of incest, two charges of committing an indecent act, and one charge of possessing child pornography.
He was jailed for nine years with a five-and-a-half year non-parole period for offences involving his two step daughters, who are now aged 12 and 14.
Judge Paul Lacava said the offending, which occurred between 2010 and 2014, constituted a "gross breach of trust" because of the man's step-father status.
He described the offences as "discreet sexual offences", with most of the offences occurring in the family house while other family members were home.
He said the man had continued to offend on a regular basis over a four-year period, when victim one was aged between 10 and 14 years.
Judge Lacava said the man was "intoxicated by lust" for victim one and had purchased mock wedding rings and sexually explicit underwear for her to wear, which he kept hidden in the family home.
He said while he accepted the man was depressed and his cognitive functioning was "in the low range", crimes of incest were a class-one offence.
"You've been convicted of 11," he said.
In sentencing, Judge Lacava noted the "profound and lasting" effect the behaviour would have on the two victims and the need to "send a clear message to the community", while also noting his prospects for full rehabilitation were "reasonable".
"The sentence I believe adequately protects the community," he said.
He said by pleading guilty the man had spared the victims from having to go to trial and he would have been looking at 12 years’ imprisonment or a nine-year non-parole period with a non-guilty plea.