Stepdad gets 10 years for sex abuse

A NORTHERN Tasmanian man who sexually abused his stepdaughter for almost five years has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Family members wept in the Supreme Court in Launceston as Justice Robert Pearce read the details of the charges this week.

The 48-year-old man, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person.

He married the victim’s mother when the girl was four and began abusing her when she was 12 years old.

Twelve separate instances of sexual assault and attempts to have sex were perpetrated over the following five years.

The assaults started out as taking naked photographs of the girl, and escalated in seriousness, including oral and digital sexual assault, and even creating a false social media account in the victim’s name to send naked photos of her to her high school friends.

Too ashamed to return to school, she began home schooling, which gave the man more abuse opportunities.

In sentencing, Justice Pearce noted the man had held a prominent position in his church community and worked with vulnerable people in a community service capacity prior to the charges being made.

“There could hardly be a more serious breach of trust,” he said.

“It was cruel, heartless, and you have shown no remorse.”

The man will be eligible for parole after serving six years.

He will be listed on the sexual offenders register for 15 years following his release.