A scout leader who spent four years sexually assaulting a boy in care has told a court his mistake was "caring too much" for his troop.
The Prospect man, who cannot be named, today portrayed himself as a decent man who "overstepped the mark" and allowed his "fondness" to lead to abuse.
The 62-year-old faced the District Court today for sentencing submissions after a jury found him guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency.
The offenses occurred at Payneham South, Morgan and Cockatoo Valley between May 1985 and May 1989.
The jury heard the four charges were only representative of the man's four-year relationship with the boy, which involved multiple sex acts per day.
On one occasion, the man placed a rubber band around the boy's genitals to cause them to swell and "look bigger".
Today, defense lawyer Grant Algie said his client was well recognized as a caring and devoted person with great dedication and community spirit.
"You may well ask how it is a man like this comes to commit these sorts of offenses," he said.
"One might consider they occurred in the nature of him being a man who was too sensitive, too caring, and allowed that sense of caring and fondness to overstep the mark.
"That would be a more benevolent approach rather than looking at him as a sexual predator."
His submission did not sit well with Judge Paul Rice.
"One is more able to understand an isolated lapse in judgment than an ongoing course of conduct over some years," he said.
Jayanthi McGrath, prosecuting, said the man's crimes were too serious for anything other than an immediate term of imprisonment.
Judge Rice remanded the man in custody for sentencing next month.
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