A 9-year-old girl was subjected to a nightmare when her mother’s boyfriend indecently assaulted her at a sleepover.
The 21-year-old man, with interim name suppression, entered a guilty plea when he appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday.
He faced three charges of indecent assault on a female under 12 years old through his lawyer Keith Owen.
The summary of facts stated the offender and victim had known each other for about five weeks, but had spent "minimal time together" before the incident.
On July 4, the victim was having a sleepover at a friend’s house.
The defendant and the mother of the victim knew its occupants.
They both stayed while socialising, but about 9pm, the mother decided to go home.
"The defendant decided to stay the night at the friend’s address," the document states.
At midnight, the young girls were told off by the man for still being awake.
The victim got upset and then the defendant rang the girl’s mother — the woman told him to stay with the victim until she fell asleep.
He started to hug and kiss her on her cheek, shoulders and arms — on her bed.
He refused to get off the mattress,
removed his pants and said he "was too hot".
In addition to showing the young girl sexualised images on his phone, he touched her while she was trying to sleep.
At 3am, he was seen "spooning" the victim with no top on.
The man refused to leave the house when asked.
In the morning, the victim went to the bathroom to get dressed and the man tried to enter.
He told the victim that she would be "the girl he would rape one day" and if she said anything to the police, she would get in trouble.
When questioned by the police, he admitted lying in the bed with her but denied any inappropriate touching.
He also denied the occupants had asked him to leave.
Judge John Brandts-Giesen convicted the man and remanded him on bail until sentencing on February 23 next year.
He granted the man interim name suppression to protect the victim.
