Phillip Wilson, 71, pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria last week to two counts of indecent assault.

On Friday, he was jailed for two years and six months, which was suspended for three years, meaning he won't spend a day behind bars.

The court heard the offending involved two young female victims aged between four and 14.

The first charge related to five incidents between December 1, 1981 and December 12, 1991.

The second charge was a course of conduct charge relating to regular offending that occurred between October 4, 1985 and December 31, 1986.

At the time of the offending, Wilson was aged between 31 and 41 and he owned a cafe in Portland.

When asked about the offending in 1991, Wilson apologised and said: "How do you think I feel? I live with this everyday".

In a victim impact statement, one victim said the offending destroyed her childhood and traumatised her throughout her life.

She said she had difficulty developing trust with others and now feared for the safety of her own child.

The second victim said she carried a sense of shame when her complaint was not believed.

"It's now your turn to carry the shame and responsibility of your actions," she said.

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Judge Sarah Dawes said Wilson's offending no doubt had a significant impact on the victims and that the harm he caused "continues to plague them".

She said the victims were "vulnerable young girls and your offending occurred when they were aged between four and 14".

"You took advantage of their vulnerability and youth when you committed these inappropriate and indecent acts," the judge said.

She said Wilson committed a number of offences over a decade and had time to reflect on his conduct, yet chose to persist.

Judge Sawes said the man showed no remorse and she believed he committed the crimes for his own sexual gratification.

She said the man's moral culpability was high, given the frequency of the offending and the age of the victims.

Wilson will be on the sex offenders' register for 15 years.

Judge Dawes said if not for his guilty plea, Wilson would have received an immediate jail sentence of three-and-a-half years with a non-parole period of two years and four months.

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