A 46-year-old Preston man was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by 14 years of strict probation Wednesday for sexually assaulting a young girl over a period of seven years.

Douglas M. Pervine will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years following his release from prison. He had pleaded guilty in New London Superior Court to risk of injury to a minor.

The victim told somebody who reported the crimes to state police in April 2014, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Pervine, a retired Navy chief electronics technician, made full admissions to the crimes, according to prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman. Defense attorney Gregg W. Wagman said Pervine has been in counseling since July, has cooperated fully with police and understands what he did.

“I’m just so very sorry for my actions,” Pervine said.

Judge Hillary B. Strackbein told Pervine he had committed a striking breach of trust in the life of the child. She ordered several probation conditions, including no unsupervised contact with minors.