‘That was our secret’: Mount Gambier man accused of sexually assaulting granddaughter

A South East man accused of sexually assaulting his granddaughter has been caught on camera telling the four-year-old “that was our secret”, a court has heard.

A Mount Gambier man is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing his four-year-old granddaughter after bathing her, a court has heard.

The 72-year-old grandfather, who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his alleged victim, was secretly recorded by the girl’s parents when the allegations first came to light.

In her opening statements, prosecutor Keryn Park told the Mount Gambier District Court the allegations first came to light during a conversation with the young girl and her mother.

The girl’s mother discreetly began recording the conversation on her mobile phone.

Ms Park said the audio shows the alleged victim was able to describe how she was allegedly assaulted.

A Mount Gambier man is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing his four-year-old granddaughter after bathing her, a court has heard. Picture: iStock

The man has been charged with maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child and unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14.

According to court documents, the alleged offending is said to have occurred between January 2019 and February 2020.

The alleged victim’s mother, the accused’s daughter, had a screen in place so the accused could not see her as she gave her testimony.

“We just couldn’t believe it — it still doesn’t seem real,” the girl’s mother said.

After hearing her account, the girl’s parents purchased a number of motion activated covert cameras — setting them up in the ensuite bathroom.

When the defendant came to the house to babysit the alleged victim, two days later, they instructed him to only use the ensuite bathroom, as the other had been just cleaned with bleach.

He was also told not to bathe the girl as she had an injury to her foot and her hair had just been done.

In her opening address, Ms Park said the covert cameras captured a conversation between the accused and the alleged victim in the ensuite bathroom.

In the recording, the accused questioned the girl about why she had told her mother, Ms Park said.

“I told you not to tell — that was our secret”, the accused said.

When the parent’s returned home from work, there was a heated discussion in the kitchen about the allegations.

“He was quite emotional,” the girl’s mother said.

“He had tears in his eyes – why would a four-year-old accuse me of that?”

After the grandfather left, the girl’s father checked the cameras and returned to his wife with “tears in his eyes”, a court has heard.

The pair reported the matter to police where they turned over the captured videos.

The trial continues.