Former Athlete Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Young Daughter; Sentencing Set for July 24

A former athlete has been convicted on two counts of serious indecency after an all-female jury determined he sexually abused his young daughter on separate occasions between 2022 and 2023 — bringing a measure of justice for a child who took the witness stand, faced cross-examination, and told the court she was telling the truth.

The jury, sitting before Justice Ann Marie Smith in the High Court, found the man guilty of digitally penetrating the child and of placing his genitals against her on separate occasions. He was acquitted on a third count of indecent assault.

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

What the Child Told the Court

The complainant testified during the trial that the abuse took place while she was living with her father, on occasions when his girlfriend was not at home. She told the court that he would invite her into his bedroom, instruct her to remove her clothing, and subject her to the acts that formed the basis of the charges.

She described the distress she experienced when, after being sent to live with her grandmother, her father later attempted to bring her back into his care. She told the court she cried and resisted because she feared a recurrence of what she had endured.

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Wendel Alexander, the child firmly denied any suggestion that she had been coached by her grandmother or anyone else to fabricate the allegations. She maintained throughout that her testimony was truthful.

The Grandmother's Evidence

The child's grandmother corroborated key elements of the prosecution's case. She told the court that her relationship with the accused deteriorated after mid-2022, when he blocked her from contacting the child directly. She recounted an incident in which the child became extremely distressed and was found hiding in a closet rather than accompany her father, and a separate occasion when the child returned shortly after leaving because she would not stop crying.

The grandmother rejected suggestions during cross-examination that the allegations had been invented or that personal disputes with the accused had motivated the complaint.

Sentencing on July 24

The convicted man will be sentenced on July 24 before Justice Ann Marie Smith. The sentencing will determine the custodial term for the two counts of serious indecency on which he has been found guilty.

The verdict closes a trial that required a young child to relive her experience in a courtroom, face questioning designed to challenge her account, and maintain her composure under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. That she did so — and that a jury believed her — speaks to the courage of the complainant and to the importance of a justice system that takes the voices of children seriously.