Man admits sexually assaulted granddaughter in Portland

The man read his victim impact statement to Warrnambool Magistrates Court during the plea hearing of his 78-year-old father, who cannot be named because that could identify the victim.

The man said he protected strangers in the community for 18 years as a police officer, and it would haunt him for the rest of his life that he didn't protect his daughter "when she needed me the most".

The offender sexually assaulted his eight-year-old granddaughter in Portland in 2016.

He was found guilty of charges of indecent act and on March 10 was jailed for six months.

The court heard at the time of the offending the family was in Portland celebrating a birthday.

Throughout the evening the man rubbed his granddaughter's genitals.

The court heard the man denied the offending and the now teen-aged victim had to give evidence at two contested hearings.

Her father said while he couldn't speak on behalf of his daughter, he saw how the offending affected her when she "broke down in tears" during the second hearing.

"I felt sick to the stomach that she would be cross examined again," he told the court.

The man's wife said the "awful event" had forever affected their family.

She said the "perverted" grandfather had "picked the wrong family".

She said his "sick act" had turned her first-born daughter into an emotional, violent and angry young girl - all for his own sexual satisfaction.

The mother said her daughter was scarred and would no doubt be for the rest of her life.

During a plea hearing, police prosecutor Sergeant Angela Fitzgerald said the man had no criminal history at the time of the offending, but had since been convicted of sexual crimes against other women.

She said the man was jailed in March 2017 but successfully appealed the sentence and was instead handed a community correction order.

A lawyer for the man said the offending against his client's granddaughter was at "the lower end".

He said there were two incidents on a single day that were "relatively momentary and opportunistic", and didn't involve predatory or grooming behaviour, or threats to conceal the crimes.

The lawyer said delay was a real issue in the case, stating the victim made a complaint immediately yet the case remained in limbo for five years.

He said the subsequent crimes were relevant but the magistrate must treat his client as being a "first time offender".

In sentencing, magistrate Simon Guthrie said the offending was serious and involved a breach of trust between a grandfather and granddaughter.

He said it was a complicated sentencing exercise, acknowledging the offender suffered health issues, including diabetes, a heart condition and prostate cancer.

The man was placed on the sex offender's registry for life.

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