Convicted child sex offender Martyn Lee Howard accused of abusing another child awaits Judge’s verdict

A known South East child sex criminal has stood trial charged with abusing another child over a period of five years but his lawyer says she made it all up.

A young girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted in a forest by a known sex offender has been labelled a liar in court.

It is alleged the South East man abused the child for a period of five year when she lived with relatives who believed he was wrongfully jailed for his past crimes.

Martyn Lee Howard, 68, faced a judge alone trial in the Mount Gambier District Court after pleading not guilty to maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child.

In his closing statement on Friday, Mr Howard’s defence lawyer Nick Healy asked Judge Rauf Soulio to “consider the likeliness” of the complainant’s account.

Mr Healy described the alleged victim, who suffered complex trauma prior to the allegations, as a “troubled young girl” known to “make facts up” and “fabricate” the truth.

Martyn Lee Howard, 68, leaving the Mount Gambier courthouse where he was standing trial for further alleged offending. Picture: Arj Ganesan

He argued as her relatives knew of Mr Howard’s criminal history they would have been “on alert” any time he was with the child.

“When she doesn’t get her own way we know, as late as January of this year, she has made a complaint (about another person),” Mr Healy said.

“They’re in the same room … and yet the evidence of the complaint is that my client has pulled the top of her pants forward and has placed his hand on the vagina.”

It is alleged Mr Howard touched the child’s vagina, breasts on multiple occasions and showed her his penis and a pornographic video.

Earlier the court heard, the alleged victim’s relatives and Mr Howard had been friends for some time and often had dinner at one another’s house.

During his opening remarks on Tuesday, prosecutor Damian Cunningham alleged offending occurred during those dinner parties and on one occasion in a forest behind Mr Howard’s house.

“The complainant states that one night, when she was at the accused’s house for dinner … she went for a walk to the forest with the accused,” Mr Cunningham said.

During the walk the accused asked her if she wanted to touch his penis, to which she said no, the court heard.

Martyn Lee Howard previously pleaded guilty to one aggravated and one basic count of possess child exploitation material. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Despite believing Mr Howard had been wrongfully convicted the alleged victim’s relatives asked him not to spend time alone with the girl as “it was not a good look”.

The court heard he allegedly continued to find ways to spend time alone with the girl leading the relatives to eventually stop visiting the accused and his wife.

Giving evidence, a relative of the alleged victim said she “bitterly regrets” not listening to “that voice” sooner.

“(The girl) asked us why we didn’t go to (dinner) any more … I said he was accused of sexually touching (a child),” the witness said.

“It became quite emotional when (she) said ‘Martyn’s done that to me too’.”

Mr Howard has continued to deny sexually assaulting the girl.

However after surrendering his tablet to authorities he pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of possess child exploitation material and one basic count of possess child exploitation material at a previous court appearance.

The investigating officer told the court the seized device had “about 12 videos and a number of photos” containing child exploitation material.

Judge Soulio will deliver his verdict in Adelaide at a later date.