Victorian man avoids jail for incest after raping his little sister when she was 10.

Content warning: This post contains themes some readers may find triggering.

A Victorian man who infected his younger sister with genital herpes after forcing himself on her has avoided a jail term but torn apart his family.

The 22-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on Monday apologised to his sister and mother before he was given a three-year community correction order after pleading guilty to incest between siblings.

“I don’t have much to say, but I am sorry for what I’ve done,” he told the Victorian County Court.

The sexual abuse happened while he was aged between 16 and 18. He was charged almost two-and-a-half years after the case was first reported to police. The girl was 10 when her brother first forced himself on her, the judge said on Monday.

When she was 12 she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with the sexually transmitted disease, which was reported to police.

The pair’s mother said her son’s crime had destroyed the family.

“This totally messed my head up,” she said in her victim impact statement.

“Seeing one go through hell and grieving the other.”

The woman said she had to move out of the family home with her daughter in order to protect her, and she separated from her partner of 12 years.

“You have torn our family apart,” she said.

The woman said she had to make a difficult choice between her son and daughter.

“I love you because you’re my son, but I don’t like what you have done and what you have become.”

A lawyer for the 22-year-old said his client was filled with a deep sense of shame and loathing over what happened.

The man has been ordered to serve 150 hours of unpaid community service and is subject to 15 years of mandatory reporting.

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.