A 56-YEAR-OLD Delacombe man who had sex with a 15-year-old girl planned to marry the teenager and have children with her, and had already purchased an engagement ring, a court has heard.Frederick Alfred Dickson appeared in the County Court in Ballarat yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual penetration of a child under 16.The court heard Dickson, who turned 56 yesterday, had formed a relationship with the girl’s mother late in 2010 before initiating contact with the girl in early 2011.Crown prosecutor James Fitzgerald said Dickson, who lived in “close proximity” to the girl and her family, bought her a necklace, watch and engagement ring and asked her to be a mother to his children.Mr Fitzgerald said Dickson told the girl she “should be on the pill” during his offending, which occurred over a number of weeks during February and March last year.“This is a 40-year age gap and he says he wants her to be his wife,” he said.“This is serious offending.”Mr Fitzgerald called for the court to impose a prison sentence of up to eight-and-a-half years, with a minimum non-parole period of up to six-and-a-half years.Defence barrister Pat Bourke argued the crown’s proposed sentencing range was “just wrong” and said anything that harsh would be disproportionate to the gravity of his client’s offending.He said his client was arrested on April 9 last year and after initially denying the allegations, immediately requested a second interview where he admitted to the offences.“Those admissions are a significant indication of remorse – that alone indicates a regret for his wrongdoing,” Mr Bourke told Judge Lance Pilgrim.“You can sentence him on the basis that remorse is present.”Mr Bourke also said his client had no prior history of sexual offending before these incidents, and argued Dickson was a low risk of reoffending.Judge Pilgrim ordered Dickson be remanded in custody over the weekend in order to properly prepare his sentencing remarks.Dickson will be sentenced in Ballarat on Monday.