Backup on girl’s abuse claims
FAMILY members and the friend of a Townsville girl who was allegedly molested by her de facto stepfather have told a court about the girl’s complaints to them.
The stepfather is on trial in Townsville District Court after pleading not guilty to 11 counts of indecent treatment of a child.
Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane alleges the indecent touching occurred on three different occasions, when the girl was aged 10 to 12.
In closing the Crown case yesterday, Mr Crane said the girl was a credible witness who gave “incredible detail” about the alleged offending.
Mr Crane said the man had been “testing the waters” the first night, when he touched the girl’s chest and buttocks and then passed out drunk next to her.
He said the second time, things escalated when the man touched the girl’s genitalia.
“In her evidence, she told her mother, ‘ I said to mum, I said last night ( the man) started putting his hand up my dress and being a bit too touchy and I felt really uncomfortable’,” he said.
“She said that he wouldn’t do that and that I was lying.”
Mr Crane said on a Sunday night in 2015, emboldened by alcohol, the man committed more serious offending, going into the girl’s bedroom three times in one night and touching her. He said the next morning the girl went to school and told her best friend.
A police interview with the friend was played to the court.
“( She said) he touched that area and he went out, and she didn’t move, she couldn’t cry because she was really scared,” the friend said in the interview.
The girl’s mum told the court her daughter made an allegation on a Monday night, about November 29, 2015.
The girl told her dad’s partner she had been touched by her stepfather on January 1 last year.
The alleged victim’s older sister said that night she was at her father’s house watching a movie when her stepmum asked her to speak to her younger sister.
“She was crying and she was upset ... She said that ( the stepfather) had touched her,” she said.
Defence barrister Bassett said the victim’s evidence contradictory.
He said when confronted with the allegations by the girl’s mother, the stepfather said he heard the girl having a bad dream and went into her room to calm her down.
“A person may be truthful enough, honest enough, but wrong, inaccurate,” he said.
Judge Gregory Lynham will begin summing up the trial this morning and the jury is expected to start deliberating today. Edward alleged was