‘I hope you burn in hell’

Father jailed seven years for repeatedly sexually assaulting one of his daughters

A father who repeatedly sexually assaulted his young daughter was handed a seven-year prison sentence and banned from contacting the girl for life on Tuesday.

“I hope you burn in hell!” the now 13-year-old wrote in a victim impact statement filed with the court. “I’ll never forgive you! So drop dead!”

The man, who cannot be identified to protect the identities of his three children, earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of incest, touching for a sexual purpose and assault with a weapon — all for offences against his eldest daughter.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the assaults began when the girl was nine and carried on until she was 13.

The father also admitted to beating the child with a belt as a form of discipline.

At one point, the girl told her mother what was happening. Instead of reporting the father to police, the mother imposed rules to prevent the man from being alone with the girls. However, the father disregarded the rules and entered the home when the mother was at work. He would send his other daughters to shower while he assaulted his oldest child.

Court heard that, though the father had a number of sexual partners and a history of sexually transmitted infections, he did not use condoms. At one point, his daughter believed she was pregnant and looked online for ways to check for pregnancy.

The abuse only stopped when the second-eldest daughter reported it at school in December 2017. The children were taken from the family home and both the father and mother were charged.

The mother was in court to deliver a tearful victim impact statement on Tuesday, asking for a harsh sentence for the man who she said controlled her and her daughters, describing him as a “violent sexual offender who manipulates people.”

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Danker cited a number of aggravating factors in her argument for a sentence of eight to 10 years, while defence lawyer Nicole Stewart called for a sentence of five to six years.

Stewart argued her client has sincere remorse for his actions, and that he has never disputed his daughter’s allegations.

During a psychiatric assessment, he said that as a young child he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by extended family and community members.

“It got to the point where being molested and abused was normal and OK,” Stewart said, reading from the statement the man gave about his childhood.

As a teenager, he spent time in a group home for youth who carry out sexual offences. He also later sought treatment for alcohol and drug addictions.

The man’s sister and parents were in court to support him on Tuesday.

In addition to imposing a number of orders related to preventing the man from future contact with minors, the judge granted requests by two of the man’s daughters for lifetime no-contact orders, as well as a request by the youngest child for a 10-year no contact order.

If the girls change their minds, they can ask a family court to vary the order.