AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
BY MICHELLE HARRIS
22 Jun, 2012
A HUNTER pastor will spend at least three years in jail for indecently assaulting his three young granddaughters in what was a ‘‘gross abuse of trust and authority’’ that he sought to blame on the influence of the devil.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was sentenced in the Sydney District Court yesterday to a total of seven years imprisonment, but would be eligible for parole in May 2016. He previously pleaded guilty to 15 indecent assaults, which he committed over about seven weeks in late 2010.
The girls were each aged under 10, and were staying with their grandparents when the assaults occurred.
As the court heard details of the assaults, set out in a statement of agreed facts, the man sat with his head in his hands and at one point said ‘‘They’re lies’’.
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