High Court Hears Child's Testimony in Sexual Abuse Trial Against Former Athlete

A former athlete is before the High Court facing serious charges that he sexually abused his young daughter over a period of more than a year, with the child complainant taking the witness stand this week to give evidence about the alleged incidents.

The Charges

The matter is being heard before Justice Ann Marie Smith and an all-female jury. The accused faces two counts of serious indecency and one count of indecent assault, with prosecutors alleging the offences occurred between April 2022 and April 2023 while the child was living in his care. The alleged abuse is said to have begun sometime after the child turned eight years old.

The accused cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the child complainant.

Child's Evidence

The complainant gave evidence in court this week, telling the court that when her father's girlfriend was not at home, he would call her into his bedroom and carry out the acts alleged by the prosecution.

The child also described her distress when, after being sent to live with her grandmother, her father later attempted to bring her back into his care — saying she cried and resisted because she feared a recurrence of what she alleged had happened to her.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Wendel Alexander, the child firmly rejected suggestions that she had been coached by her grandmother or anyone else. She maintained that she was telling the truth.

Grandmother's Testimony

The child's grandmother also gave evidence, telling the court that the complainant had been living with the accused in early 2022. She said that on one occasion when the accused came to collect the child, the child became extremely upset and was eventually found hiding in a closet. On a separate occasion that same month, the child reluctantly accompanied her father but returned shortly afterwards in an inconsolable state.

The grandmother firmly rejected under cross-examination any suggestion that the allegations had been fabricated or that personal disputes with the accused had motivated the complaint. She confirmed that police had visited the home on two occasions after the accused reported being denied access to the child.

The trial continues before Justice Ann Marie Smith.

The identity of the child complainant is protected by law. No information has been published that could be used to identify the child.