A former athlete has been found guilty of two counts of serious indecency against his young daughter following a High Court trial presided over by Justice Ann Marie Smith, according to Antigua News Room.
The man's identity is being withheld to protect the identity of the child complainant. A jury convicted him on two of the three charges he faced.
The jury found the accused guilty of inserting his finger into the child's vagina on one occasion and placing his penis against her buttocks on another. He was acquitted of a third count of indecent assault.
The offences were alleged to have taken place between April 2022 and April 2023, during a period when the complainant was living with her father. Prosecutors alleged the abuse began after the child turned eight years old.
During her testimony, the complainant told the court that when her father's girlfriend was absent from the home, he would call her into his bedroom, instruct her to remove her clothing and commit the acts that formed the basis of the charges. She further testified that after moving to her grandmother's home, she refused to return to her father's house because she did not want him to repeat his actions.
The child's grandmother also took the stand, recounting an incident in which she found the complainant hiding in a closet and crying when the accused arrived to collect her. The grandmother told the court that the accused had said he wanted to spend time with the child because the following day was his birthday.
Following the guilty verdicts, Justice Ann Marie Smith ordered a social inquiry report and adjourned the matter. Sentencing is scheduled for July 24.
