Related: Victim addresses her abuser in court
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A BENDIGO man has been jailed for three years with a two-year non-parole period for child sexual assault offences stemming from the late-1990s.
Peter Pryse, 40, was sentenced in the Bendigo County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual penetration of a child under 16.
The offending occurred while Pryse was aged between 18 and 20 and living in Echuca.
Judge Paul Lacava said Pryse’s offending became increasingly aggressive towards his victim during a two-year period.
“I regard your offending as serious, and your culpability is high,” he said.
“Protection of the community must be a principle purpose.”
The victim first raised the matters with police in the late 1990s, but the charges were withdrawn by the Department of Public Prosecutions as part of a plea deal for two other rape cases against Pryse.
He was later convicted and jailed on other child sexual abuse charges in the 2000s.
The victim spoke directly to Pryse during the plea hearing earlier this month, telling him of the pain his offending continued to cause her.