A middle-aged man who plied a 13-year-old girl with alcohol in an attempt to sexually assault her is at risk of going to jail, a court has heard.
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She had been living in a house with the man and his partner.
The 53-year-old offender will be sentenced by magistrate Melissa Humphreys when the matter returns to Albury Local Court on Friday, May 3.
The man - who cannot be named, nor can where he lives be identified (after those matters alone were suppressed by the court) - previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of grooming a child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity.
It was submitted to the court by defence counsel that the offender's actions were "completely out of character" and a "one-off".
The barrister told Ms Humphreys the girl had continued to live in the house with the man for some time afterwards - on an isolated rural property - "yet in two years he did not offend again".
The man had in fact, he said, continued to support the victim "for two years after the incident".
A conviction for the offence would have "a significant impact on him for the rest of his life", especially as this would result in him being placed on the NSW Child Protection Register.
"There has been a huge impact on this particular man. The fact is this behaviour was a one-off, it was isolated."
Ms Humphreys noted the "significant age difference" between the man and his victim.
"And he supplied her with a significant amount of alcohol," she said.
Ms Humphreys said the offending could very well reach the threshold for a sentence of custody, given the charge carried - on indictment before the District Court - a 12-year maximum jail term and five-year non-parole period and that it involved "a significant breach of trust".
Director of Public Prosecutions representative Shannon Matchett submitted to Ms Humphreys that she should be "troubled by the lack of insight by this particular offender" as evidenced in a sentence assessment report.
Nevertheless, Mr Matchett said there was no like offending on the man's record.
"Your honour will not be satisfied as far as meaningful remorse or insight," he said.
Mr Matchett said the prosecution would submit that an intensive corrections order - a jail term served in the community - would satisfy the requirements of sentencing.
