Van Ryn, 59, of Tathra, appeared in Bega District Court on Wednesday morning with Judge Clive Jeffreys presiding.

Van Ryn stood in the dock while the list of charges was read out one by one – to each he responded with his plea of “Guilty, Your Honour”.

There were 10 charges read out, all relating to offences committed towards children under the age of 16.

Crown prosecutor Michael Fox then presented two additional charges for the judge to take into consideration when sentencing, for which Van Ryn also reiterated his guilty plea.

One was described as “aggravated indecent assault involving a person under 16” and the other a further charge of “assault with act of indecency”.

It is understood the most serious charge of “persistent sexual abuse of a child” – which can carry a maximum jail term of 25 years – stems from these further assaults.

The 12 charges all stemmed from offences said to have occurred between 2004 and 2014.

The prosecution formally tendered a signed statement of facts, to which defence counsel did not dispute any of the assertions included.

However, the prosecution then said it still had some paperwork to prepare including victim impact statements.

“It is the application of the Crown that this proceed at a later date and we anticipate that it will need to take place in Sydney,” Mr Fox said.

“How long will it take you to get your houses in order,” Judge Jeffreys asked.

“A matter of weeks,” was the reply.

Judge Jeffreys adjourned the sentence hearing until February 26, to be heard by him in the Sydney District Court.

He continued to refuse bail in the meantime.

By Alasdair McDonald

CONFESSED paedophile Maurice Van Ryn will have to wait until February 26 to learn his fate in the Sydney District Court.

An anxious Van Ryn, 59, exited the Bega District Courtroom quickly after his sentence hearing was adjourned by Judge Clive Jeffreys Wednesday morning.

Van Ryn's barrister Colin Heazlewood said his client is “okay” and “soldiering on” despite his incarceration, and looking to “put this episode behind him and move on”.

Mr Heazlewood said Van Ryn was “aware that there will be a jail sentence” and that his client was “significantly remorseful”.

Van Ryn's family is standing by him and according to Mr Heazlewood visit the accused often.

Mr Heazlewood explained that material will be presented to the court in coming weeks supporting the family's position.

He also said Van Ryn is continuing with his hormone treatments – also known as chemical castration - and was showing no visible side effects.

A spokesperson for the victims’ families said they were “shocked” as until today's proceedings they were unaware of “the horror and extent of Van Ryn's crimes”.

They said although Van Ryn had said he expressed remorse, the families had not received an apology from either him or his family members.

“The only good thing is that he has pleaded guilty, which has saved the children from reliving their experiences [by testifying in court],” the spokesperson said.

“We wouldn’t have had him locked up without the help of the media.”

The spokesperson also appealed for any further victims of abuse to come forward.

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