By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Court Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A POLICE officer and a young girl testified yesterday in the trial of a grandfather accused of sexually assaulting an underaged girl last year.
The 47-year-old defendant, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the complainant, was represented by Devard Francis. The accused faces two counts of indecent assault.
On June 17 and October 19, 2022, in New Providence, he allegedly touched his then 14-year-old granddaughter’s buttocks on two separate occasions when she visited him.
The complainant testified in her school uniform before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans. Her back was turned against the defendant on the witness stand.
When asked by Prosecutor ASP Lewis if her grandfather had touched her inappropriately, she said “yes“.
Constable Dario Stubbs said he fingerprinted the defendant on November 1, 2022, and conducted his official record of interview (ROI). Constable Stubbs recalled the defendant denied the allegations and told him that “he (the defendant) would never do something like that.”
Following the conclusion of this interview, both the constable and the defendant signed the ROI. Constable Stubbs also told the magistrate that the following day he visited the suspect’s residence and photographed the interior and exterior of the premises for evidential purposes.
When asked by Mr Francis if he had asked the complainant where the incident had allegedly taken place, Constable Stubbs said “yes”. When asked where the defendant allegedly touched the complainant, the officer indicated that the complainant said that her grandfather had done so on her hips as well as the breast area.
However, after Constable Stubbs could not find any statement in the official record that the complainant alleged she was touched on her breasts, he retracted his statement. Regarding the claim the girl was touched on her buttocks, the officer said the girl told her mother of the alleged incident.
Responding to Mr Francis, Constable Stubbs said no one else witnessed the incident between the grandfather and granddaughter. He also reiterated that the defendant had maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
The trial will continue on June 28.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.