Jury mulls trial verdict

A JURY is considering its verdict in the trial of a man accused of raping and maintaining an illegal sexual relationship with two young sisters.

Zaine Steven McNeish has pleaded not guilty to 30 child sex offences including nine counts of rape.

Several charges relate to alleged indecent dealings with a third sister but it has been argued by Crown Prosecutor Dominique Orr that McNeish focused the bulk of his attention towards the two younger girls.

Defence barrister Ted Barrett questioned the credibility of the young girls when summing up in the Townsville District Court yesterday.

Throughout the trial Ms Orr claimed the youngest child said McNeish was sexually inappropriate with her “almost every day”.

Mr Barrett argued if that were true, why did the girl continue to show trust in the defendant.

“If all these dreadful things were happening to this little girl do you think she would go over to his house just to play a game,” he said.

Mr Bassett noted in a police interview in April 2015, the youngest child was asked when the defendant first started touching her “rude part” to which she replied when she was three or four.

In the interview she told police she had a shirt with gold butterflies and purple pants on at the time. Mr Bassett then asked the jury to question how a child could remember such details more than five years after the alleged event.

In reference to email ex- changes the prosecution alleged McNeish had with an undercover police officer in which he sent photos of the youngest sibling, Mr Bassett said the jury should not infer guilt because of this, noting the girl was clothed in the pictures.

He said the fact that McNeish’s phone was discovered with a picture of the youngest child as its wallpaper simply meant he was “attached” to the child.

Judge Greg Lynham went over the case with the jury before he asked them to retire to consider their verdict.

Judge Lynham said the youngest sibling was aged between two and seven years old at the time of the alleged offences with her as the complainant.

The jury spent about 90 minutes mulling over the case before going home for the day.

They recommence their deliberations at 9am today.