A former athlete has been found guilty of two counts of serious indecency against his young daughter following a trial in the High Court before Justice Ann Marie Smith.

The man, whose identity is being withheld to protect the identity of the complainant, was convicted by a jury of two of the three charges he faced.

The jury found him 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 occurred between April 2022 and April 2023 while the complainant was living with her father. The prosecution 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 away 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 testified that after she later went to live with her grandmother, she refused to return to her father’s home because she did not want him to repeat what he had done to her.

The child’s grandmother also testified that she once found the complainant hiding in a closet and crying when the accused arrived to collect her, telling the court 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 for sentencing on July 24.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Former Athlete Convicted of Two Counts of Serious Indecency Against Daughter.