A Jehovah's Witness church patriarch convicted for paedophilia is working alongside children again in Melbourne.

The allegations were made against Richard Hill by his cousin over sexual offences dating back to 1981 when she was aged six.

Hill was found guilty last year but says police are aware of where he works and that he is permitted to do so, according to a report in The Age newspaper.

He is reportedly undertaking door-knocks along with young members of the church.

Richard Hill, a church patriarch at Jehovah's Witnesses in Plenty, north-east of Melbourne (pictured), convicted of sexual assault is now free and once again working with children

According to Mr Hill's cousin Melissa Buchanan, he is again working at the church which is run by his family. He was last year found guilty of sexually assaulting Ms Buchanan in 1981 when she was just aged six

The publication claims that Hill's father-in-law is in charge of the movement's Kingdom Hall at Plenty, about 20 kilometres north-east of Melbourne.

'I pleaded not guilty to all charges but we decided not to keep going because of mental stress on my family and the costs,' Hill told The Age.

'I spent over $100,000 defending myself in the courts. You get to a point where you turn the other cheek and walk away. I am definitely not guilty.'

The allegations of abuse from 35 years ago were brought against him by relative Melissa Buchanan - investigators were told they had been living in the same home at the time when he entered her room after showering wearing only a towel.

Ms Buchanan, 41, was then forced to sit on his lap and told to be quiet as he sexually abused her.

The victim - who is no longer part of the church and has been shunned for deciding to leave - says the incident was kept quiet by her family in an attempt to protect theirs and the church's reputation.

In 2015 during a Royal Commission it was revealed that 1006 reports of sexual assault by leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses church since 1950 had gone unreported

According to Ms Buchanan, her greatest worry is that Mr Hill may reoffend now that he is again working with kids.

'He could very easily do to others what he did to me,' she said.

'I don't know how they can have a convicted paedophile knocking on doors speaking about religion.'

In 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses To Child Sexual Abuse heard there had been 1006 reports of sexual assaults made against church leadership since 1950 - none of which were reported to Police.