Father charged in court with sexually abusing his mentally disabled daughter

Content Warning: This article refers to suspected child abuse.

Police arrived to speak to a teenager who claimed she was sexually abused by her father after confiding in a teacher at her school, jurors heard at the start of the trial.

The father’s trial began on Monday (September 30) in the Bega High Court. Jurors heard he was accused of touching his 15-year-old daughter, who lives with an intellectual disability, on the breasts and genitals in her bedroom.

In September 2022, the girl was speaking to her teacher at her school on the New South Wales south coast when she said: “He touched me,” prosecutor Nerissa Keay claimed in her opening arguments.

The girl also reportedly said: “It’s my body and I’m saying no.”

“Yes, that’s right, it’s good that you remember that from our class,” said the teacher.

The teacher asked if her mother knew about the allegations, and the girl said she had recently told her.

“I’m worried about mom and about finding an apartment,” the girl said when asked if she was OK.

Four days later, police spoke to her at her school.

Ms Keay said the girl was asked to describe the last alleged incident her father was accused of, but she also claimed that incident had happened “a while ago”.

The prosecutor said the man “denied touching his daughter sexually.”

The 39-year-old pleaded not guilty at his trial at Bega High Court. Photo: Ian Campbell.

The man’s defense lawyer, Jonathan Cooper, spoke about a day in September 2022 when his client and his partner, the girl’s mother, drove to Wollongong.

“It was in that car at that moment that my client heard about it for the first time,” he said.

Mr Cooper said when police called his client “he didn’t get dressed, didn’t get a lawyer” and went to the police station to speak to them.

“He was open and honest with police about what was going on at home and he didn’t do it,” he said.

The lawyer said that the question in the proceedings was that “the allegations in this case come from a person [the girl]“.

He said the girl’s credibility, reliability and her memory would play a role in the trial.

“My client asks you to listen carefully to her testimony,” Mr. Cooper said.

Jurors were told they would hear from the girl, her mother and the teacher during the trial.

The now 39-year-old man, who cannot legally be named, pleaded not guilty to two counts of intentional sexual touching of a child between the ages of 10 and 16.

The trial continues before Judge Dina Yehia SC.

If this story raises concerns for you, you can contact 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence helpline, on 1800 737 732 or at www.1800respect.org.au. Help and support is also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Center on 02 6247 2525, Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.