A Kingswood man who molested his six-year-old niece has been jailed for five years and seven months.
The 28-year-old faced Penrith District Court last Thursday and was sentenced to a non-parole period of three years and eight months.
The court heard the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was staying at the girl’s western Sydney home on March 9, 2019 when the offending took place.
But rather than sleep on the couch as the girl’s parents had intended, the man walked into her bedroom and climbed into the bed she shared with her younger sister.
He then placed his hand inside her underwear and began sexually touching her.
When she recoiled and whispered for him to stop, he did so, only to then take hold of her wrist and force her to touch his genitals, the court heard.
The girl disclosed the incident to her mother the next morning and the man was arrested at his Kingswood home several days later.
In handing down her judgement, Judge Sharon Harris condemned the offender’s actions, saying he “most gravely abused a position of trust”.
She said had the offender not pleaded guilty in the Local Court and been afforded a 25 per cent discount for the utilitarian value of his plea, she would have imposed a head sentence of seven years and six months.
The court heard the man, who had no prior criminal record, had become an outcast since the incident and only had the support of his parents.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl’s father praised his “brave, strong daughter” for being able to speak up.
The 28-year-old, who the court heard regularly consumed cannabis and amphetamines, reported being “as high as a kite” at the time of the offence, but Judge Harris said that was no excuse, describing his actions as “unforgivable”.
He is eligible for parole on November 18, 2022.
Alena Higgins is the Weekender’s Senior News Reporter, primarily covering courts and Council issues.
