The article does not state the victim's age, but it does repeatedly refer to her as a "schoolgirl" and "child". It also states she had feelings of confusion around the act. These things do not probably indicate a female at the cusp of the age of legal consent, right?
In any case, the elder admitted the crime and said he felt ongoing guilt about the act.
I guess it's very inaccurate for me to call it "the act" because it occurred over a period of time greater than 2 years long.
The court, victim and perp all agree she was not old enough to consent to the contact, that it was wrong and illegal. Seems like there is no debate at all about her consent.