Pastor's plea traps child abuser

A MAN has been jailed for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl after a pastor intervened in the case to ensure he faced justice.

The girl's distraught mother contacted the clergyman to ask for his help after her daughter told her she had been molested by her step-father.

Her partner had denied touching the girl when her mother confronted him over the allegation.

But a conversation with her pastor soon after convinced her to call the police.

This week the 38-year-old was jailed for three months after the case was dealt with at Ipswich District Court.

Yet the mother, who has two children by her partner and is carrying his baby, is planning to resume her relationship with the offender when he is released from prison.

The court was told the man, who cannot be named to protect the girl's identity, had drunk 1.25 litres of rum on November 12 last year because of problems he was experiencing at work.

Later that evening he crept into the room where the girl was sleeping and molested her for about 40 minutes.

The girl told her mother about the sexual assault the next day and she decided to call police following her pastor's advice.

Prosecutor John Copley said the man was questioned by police but claimed he had no memory of the incident because he had been drunk.

Mr Copley said the complainant was “not a girl who lies”.

The man pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent treatment of a child aged under 12.

He was sentenced to 12 months' jail, which will be suspended after he serves three months behind bars.

The man will also be on probation for two years and will be required to perform sexual offending counselling and alcohol treatment.

The court heard the man had been in a relationship with the girl's mother since 2003.

Defence barrister Steve Kissick said the couple hoped to resume their relationship when the man is allowed to move back into the family home.

Mr Kissick said his client was not a pedophile but had a long history of alcohol abuse.