Douglas Norman Povey, 69, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court yesterday to nine offences, which happened between October 1988 and August 1991, involving a boy aged between nine and 12 years.

Crown prosecutor Pat Bourke said Povey played pool with the boy, offered him alcohol and cigarettes and showed him pornographic material.

Povey had exposed himself, indecently assaulted the boy, showed him how to give hickies and the offending progressed to committing acts of sexual penetration which left the victim dry-retching.

The boy did not initially report the abuse as he feared he would not be believed but eventually told a partner and his father.

On May 25 last year the victim made two recorded telephone calls from the Casterton police station to Povey.

The victim accused Povey of molesting him, Povey agreed he had and apologised.

Asked why he did it, Povey said: “I don’t know mate”, explaining he was lonely.

Povey  had initially offered the victim $1000, raised that to $5000 and tried to arrange a meeting to pay off the man at a hotel.

When interviewed by police four days later, Povey denied he had sexually assaulted the boy or even talked to him despite the tape-recorded telephone calls. 

Judge Mark Taft said a victim impact statement spoke loudly about the consequences of the offending. Povey was remanded in custody to be sentenced next Friday. Defence counsel Michael Turner submitted a comparable case involved a man being imprisoned for six years with three years to serve before being eligible for parole.

In May this year a Warrnambool magistrate warned Povey to get out of Coleraine after handing him a nine-month suspended sentence after Povey was found guilty of committing three indecent acts at his Gage Street home on a 14-year-old boy during February last year.

Since that offending Povey was severely bashed in his home by two men. The father of the 14-year-old victim and another man have been interviewed by police but no one has been charged.

Povey was taken to Hamilton Base Hospital and has since lived in an aged care hostel. His home is now for sale. 

Mr Turner said Povey was described as a loner and leading up to the court case has been on suicide watch.