Alleged victim describes Wilmington man’s acts of sexual abuse

“He told me that we could have sex and it won’t mean anything, it’s not wrong. He said, ‘Just don’t tell your mom, because if you tell your mom, I’m going to find a way to hurt you and she’s going to find a way to hurt me.’” — Alleged victim in a sexual assault case

MEDIA COURTHOUSE » The alleged victim in a sexual assault case testified Wednesday that a 44-yearold Wilmington man forced her to stroke his penis in a Lower Chichester living room when she was just 15 years old.

The woman, now 18, said Thomas Harris had her close her eyes and placed her hand on his exposed penis. She said he also forced her to watch pornography and touched her breasts.

It is the second trial for Harris, who is facing charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, corruption of minors, engendering the welfare of children and related offenses. The first trial in late 2015 resulted in a hung jury. Harris was also acquitted on one count of open lewdness in a related case at that time.

The woman said Harris and her uncle were supposed to be watching her in early 2014 while her mother was on a trip. She said she had gone to a carnival in Trainer one night with a friend and got into an altercation with some other teens there.

The woman said Harris was home at around 7 or 8 p.m. when she returned visibly upset and that he comforted her in a downstairs living room while her friend remained upstairs in a bedroom.

After telling the girl she was beautiful, Harris allegedly had her close her eyes and placed her hand on his penis over his clothing.

The girl said she pulled her hand back, but Harris again told her to close her eyes, then placed her hand on his exposed member and moved her hand up and down. Her uncle came downstairs and Harris put his penis away, she said.

After the uncle left, the girl said Harris continued to talk to her about various sexual acts and showed her a pornographic video from a website on her iPad. She also testified that he reached under her shirt and bra to touch her breasts.

The alleged victim told Assistant District Attorney Christopher Boggs that Harris also had her put her head in his lap as they drove to the store the next day and stroked her sides. On another occasion, Harris allegedly touched her buttocks while demonstrating how he wanted her to give him a backrub.

“He told me that we could have sex and it won’t mean anything, it’s not wrong,” she said. “He said, ‘Just don’t tell your mom, because if you tell your mom, I’m going to find a way to hurt you and she’s going to find a way to hurt me.’”

Harris is representing himself with counsel from defense attorney Brian Malloy. On cross examination, Harris indicated that he was working 14 hours days in Maryland at the time and probably would not have been home until later on the night of the carnival. He also noted that the girl had said at a preliminary hearing that Harris had not put his hands in her shirt.

The girl told Harris said she had gotten in trouble with her mother for going out that night with a girl she was not supposed to be hanging out with. She also said Delaware County Detective Mark Bucci informed her no pornography was found on the iPad.

The alleged victim denied having made threats to Harris that she was going to tell her father he had abused her and threatening to kill his infant daughter. The girl said she was initially upset about the child but now likes her.

The trial is expected to continue today before Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Gregory Mallon.