A Hawke's Bay man who sexually abused his granddaughter has been banned from attending his church. 

The man's name was suppressed to protect the identity of his granddaughter when he appeared before Judge Geoff Rea in the Napier District Court on Tuesday. 

He had pleaded guilty to a single representative charge of indecently assaulting a girl under 12 years old after intimately touching her repeatedly when she was aged eight or nine. 

The offending occurred more than five years ago. 

The man, now aged in his sixties, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with release conditions to not associate with his victim or any person under 16 without an informed adult supervisor approved by a probation officer. 

He was also placed on the Child Sex Offender Register. 

Defence counsel Stephen Yee, who cited reports which raised issues of the man's own previous trauma, argued for a sentence of home detention. 

But Crown counsel Lara Marshall said that the offending had been very serious, ongoing, involved a breach of trust and required the condemnation of the court. 

Judge Rea said that home detention was not appropriate. 

"This is repeated and regular offending against a vulnerable young child," the judge said. 

Judge Rea said the man had "embraced religion" and had a strong faith, but "your moral compass was not such that it stopped you from offending over this time". 

Marshall said that the man had been active in his church community but had not been allowed to attend since his offending came to light. 

The court was told the man had a limited criminal history and no similar previous offences. 

- by Ric Stevens, Open Justice