An elderly man who sexually abused his daughter and grandchildren at his Altona North home and other locations has avoided jail due to his age and frailty.
The 88-year-old man, who can’t be identified, pleaded guilty to nine charges dating from 1968 to 1986.
The County Court this month sentenced him to three years, wholly suspended for three years.
The man was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and ordered to attend Altona North police station to provide a mouth scraping for the Victoria Police data base.
The court heard that the offending against his daughter happened between 1968 and 1973, when she was aged between six and 10.
The man offended against his grandson between 1979 to 1983 when the boy was aged between six and 10.
He also offended against his grand-daughter from 1982 to 1986 when she was aged between eight and 11.
The court heard the offending came to light when the grandson came forward to police in 2013.
After that, his grand-daughter came forward, followed by his daughter.
Victim impact
In a victim impact statement, his grand- daughter said: “Somebody who was supposed to love and look after me, somebody whom I idolised and trusted, instead attacked me and took away the innocence of my childhood.”
Judge Irene Lawson, in her sentencing remarks, said the man had been reviewed by clinical psychologist Joel Godfredson, but this had shed little light on his motivation for offending.
“He noted that you have had an unremarkable developmental history. There was no exposure to abuse, neglect or trauma,” she told the defendant.
“Your offending has caused a deep division within your family. You have been shunned by a lot of relatives.”
In handing down a suspended sentence, Judge Lawson said she had taken into account the man’s guilty plea and advanced age.
