Man guilty of raping seven-year-old in Western Australia

A man in West Australia has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl. The 58-year-old, whose identity is protected to safeguard the victim, was accused of several crimes that took place between 2015 and 2017. The trial occurred in the Broome District Court and lasted two days. It featured only one witness, the girl's mother. The man faced six counts of indecent dealing and three counts of sexual penetration involving a child under 13. The incidents involved the girl, who was between seven and eight years old at the time. The jury found the man guilty on six of the nine charges. This included two counts of sexual penetration and four counts of indecent dealing. He was cleared of three charges relating to a specific incident. During the trial, jurors viewed video interviews with the girl. She described her relationship with the man as her grandmother's partner, calling him "pop." The child revealed that he would sometimes take care of her and other kids, and there were instances where they were alone together. In her statements, the girl recounted that sexual interactions occurred while she was watching TV. She said, "He asked me to go lay next to him," and thought it was normal because he was a family member. Later, she explained that she took time to disclose the abuse because she did not understand what sexual assault was until she started learning about it. When the accused man testified, he admitted he had looked after the child but denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer argued that the delay in reporting the incidents made it hard for the man to defend himself. The man's attorney claimed that the vagueness of the timing prevented him from gathering witnesses. The child's mother testified that she learned about the abuse after the girl had a meltdown at school. The jury delivered its verdict on Friday, and the man is now in custody awaiting sentencing later this month.