A judge sentenced an Edmonton man to eight years in prison Wednesday for sexually abusing and torturing his former girlfriend's four-year-old daughter.

Darcy Bannert showed no emotion as the judge reduced the sentence to five years and eight months to make up for the time the 26-year-old spent in custody before the trial.

Witnesses said the four-year-old victim was handcuffed to furniture.
(CBC)

Bannert was convicted in June of sexual assault and forcible confinement. The court heard he handcuffed the four-year-old girl to pieces of furniture, denied her water, and sexually assaulted her at bathtime. Witnesses during the trial called the home a "house of horrors."

In Court of Queen's Bench on Wednesday, the judge said Bannert's sentence needs to send a message that people who commit these types of crimes against children will be dealt with harshly.

"This was not a momentary act or an angry outburst of a parent who loses control because a child has misbehaved," Justice Darlene Acton said. "This was a systematic plan and an abusive, controlling pattern of behaviour." 

The Crown had asked for a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison, while the defence argued for eight years, saying Bannert was a victim of abuse himself.

A victim impact statement written by a social worker said the girl is so traumatized she cannot learn or form normal emotional relationships. About to turn six next month, the girl is on medication for post-traumatic stress syndrome. She now lives in a foster home.

The child's mother has already received a two-year conditional sentence for common assault and causing a child to need protective care.

With files from the Canadian Press