A High Court jury has found a former athlete guilty of two severe counts of indecency against his underage daughter, concluding a criminal trial overseen by Justice Ann Marie Smith. The defendant’s name is being legally suppressed to safeguard the privacy of the young victim, who cannot be identified publicly under child protection laws. Out of the three criminal charges brought against him, the jury returned guilty verdicts for two offenses, while acquitting him on the third count of indecent assault.
Court documents outline that the convicted acts took place between April 2022 and April 2023, when the child was residing with her father. Prosecutors told the court the abuse started shortly after the girl turned eight years old.
During the trial, the young complainant testified that her father would target her when his girlfriend was not at the family home. He would call her into his bedroom, order her to take off her clothes, and carry out the abusive acts that form the foundation of the criminal charges. After the child moved to live with her grandmother, she told the court she refused to go back to her father’s residence, out of fear he would repeat the abuse.
The girl’s grandmother also gave evidence supporting the prosecution’s case. She told the court that on one occasion, when the former athlete arrived to pick up his daughter to spend time together ahead of his upcoming birthday, she found the child hiding in a closet, crying uncontrollably.
Following the jury’s guilty verdicts, Justice Smith ordered that a full social inquiry report be prepared to assess the case ahead of sentencing. The matter has been adjourned, with sentencing scheduled to take place on July 24.