Stepdad who sexually abused his seven-year-old stepdaughter learns his fate – but her mum is standing by her husband and doesn’t believe her

A stepfather has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing his then seven-year-old stepdaughter. The heartbreaking statements of her victims were read out to the court.

The 32-year-old man, whose name cannot be released for legal reasons, was convicted by a jury in New Zealand of six counts of sexual abuse and showing pornography to the girl over a 10-month period.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced for his crimes as he stood in court and was supported by his supporters.

The Tauranga man, originally from New Zealand’s North Island, still denies committing the disturbing crimes.

The court was told the girl was seven when the man first called her into his room and forced her to perform oral sex on him, the New Zealand Herald.

The man called her into his room and made her perform oral sex while her younger brothers slept, often playing on his tablet during the act.

He told her how to perform oral sex and that her mother did the same to him.

Over the 10 months, the man repeatedly had the seven-year-old perform the behavior, including at another family member’s home and during camping trips.

Sometimes the girl would be taken from her bed and placed in the same room as her sleeping brothers, then the man would cover her with a blanket and force her to perform oral sex on him while he watched television.

The man also showed his stepdaughter a pornographic video on his tablet while he was visiting a relative.

The now 11-year-old girl was not present at the sentencing, but the statement from her victims, read by prosecutor Anna Pollett, described the enormous rift that had opened up in the family.

Her mother believed her stepfather, not her.

“I just don’t have a mother. She doesn’t believe me, she believes him. Now instead of love, there’s hate for me,” Mrs. Pollett read.

She said her stepfather’s family was just like hers, but since the allegations and trial they had turned their backs on her.

‘Sometimes I get messages from them saying they hate me. It’s like all the people I loved and was with are suddenly gone because of this. I’ve lost my whānau [family].

The girl wrote that losing contact with her brothers was the hardest part of the process.

She had helped raise the children and said she loved them.

She also said she lost the man she called her father.

“He was like a father, but he wasn’t a good father. That hurt. What he did is not what fathers are supposed to do.”

She said she was afraid of what others would say about her and found it difficult to accept that the ordeal was not her fault.

As the girl’s supporters left the courtroom, the defendant’s supporters began swearing and cursing, claiming that no evidence had been presented during the trial.

The judge ruled that a prison sentence was the only option for the man, given the seriousness of his sexual offence.

The girl said her stepfather was like a father, ‘but not a good father’ after he repeatedly violated her

Judge Bill Lawson took into account the victim’s vulnerability, found that the offence involved a serious breach of trust and that ejaculation occurred several times during the attack.

The man was sentenced to an initial prison term of 11 years and the judge concluded that there was opportunism.

The judge ruled that the man’s sentence could not be reduced, given his positive background: a positive family, a completed education and a stable work history.

No reduction was applied to previous good character traits, given the two previous convictions in 2015 and 2016.

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