A Rotorua man described an indecent assault on a young girl as a "silly mistake".
Jason Marsters, 36, was sentenced on Monday by Judge Phillip Cooper in the Rotorua District Court to a year's prison after previously pleading guilty to the indecent assault on a child aged under 12.
Judge Cooper said the incident happened on February 19 at a gathering, during which the girl went to bed and Marsters kept drinking with his partner. His partner decided to leave while Marsters said he would stay at the party.
Judge Cooper said Marsters later went to bed and got into the girl's bed and started to kiss her and touch her.
"You claimed you thought she was your partner," Judge Cooper said. "This was obviously untrue because this girl was a different build to your partner and earlier in the evening you walked your partner out and said goodbye to her as she left to go home."