The now 23-year-old pleaded guilty in Warrnambool County Court on Thursday to five counts of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under 16.

The court heard the offending occurred over a four-month period in 2017 when he was aged 18 and the victim was 14.

The man and the victim attended the same school and after staring at her in the campus corridors, he contacted her on social media and they began talking online.

The court heard he was aware of the age gap and suggested they meet up after school.

The man soon told the victim they were to be in a secret relationship and the catch-ups became more frequent.

Over the next few months, the man's language became more sexualised and he engaged in sexual acts with or in the presence of the victim.

The court heard the man said he would break the relationship off three times during the period of the offences, stating he was scared about police finding out.

The relationship ended in May 2017.

He then contacted her in November 2019, when she was aged over 16, and apologised for his behaviour.

The victim disclosed the offending to her family in May 2020 and a report was made to police.

On October 19 last year, the man admitted to the offending during a police interview.

He said that at the time of the offending, he didn't think the age gap was illegal but was "morally grappling" with the relationship.

However he also admitted to "Googling whether it was illegal".

In a victim impact statement, the victim said she'd since been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder.

"I denied I was being sexually assaulted for so long because I was ashamed," she said.

She said she often had panic attacks and nightmares at night, and she "never stopped getting that feeling of guilt".

A prosecutor told the court the case had "clear evidence of grooming", including the man calling a 14-year-old girl "hot" and "sexy".

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Lawyer Matt Pitkin said his client was exposed to a similar sexual relationship when he was 14 and thought "it was a normal process because he had been exposed to that at that age".

"He didn't believe it was beyond the capability of a 14-year-old to understand consent and the sexual nature of what is appropriate and what is not," he said.

Mr Pitkin said his client was remorseful and a youthful offender who missed out on an opportunity for a sentence in a youth justice system due to delays in the case.

"If the matter had come before the court much sooner, he may not have been at risk of being exposed to an adult prison," he said.

Mr Pitkin urged the court to consider placing his client on a community correction order.

The man will be sentenced at a later date.

The maximum penalty for the offences is 10 years' jail and if convicted or jailed, the man is required to be listed as a serious sexual offender.

Mr Pitkin said an application for sex registration exemption would be made.

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