A MAN who sexually assaulted his young step-daughter on a weekly basis for a nearly 10-year period has been jailed for a maximum of eight years and nine months.
The man, who cannot be named because it would identify the victim, handed himself into Belmont police station in 2021 and confessed to repeatedly abusing the girl at different homes around the Hunter while she was aged between four and 14.
The abuse occurred between 1992 and 2001, while the man was aged in his 30s.
In a victim impact statement, the man's step-daughter said "the offending ruined my entire life" and she now had trouble building trust or relationships.
Judge Phillip Mahony said the man, now 62, was guilty of "serious, prolonged and frequent sexual abuse" and jailed him for a maximum of eight years and nine months, with a non-parole period of five years and six months.
With time served since his arrest, the man will be eligible for parole in November, 2026.
He had pleaded guilty to maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child, which carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
