Young girl revealed the alleged sexual abuse she suffered during school lesson

A young girl told a teacher about her alleged sexual abuse, at the hands of her mother’s partner, after a lesson taught at her primary school informed her it was wrong, a court has heard.

A young girl told her teacher of the horrifying alleged sexual abuse she was experiencing at the hands of her mother’s partner after she learnt about inappropriate touching in class, a court has heard.

A man, who cannot be named for legal reasons and to protect the alleged victim’s identity, is facing trial in the District Court after pleading not guilty to a charge of sexual abuse of a child.

Prosecutor Lisa Dunlop said in her opening statement the girl told her teacher of the alleged abuse following a class as part of the Child Protection Curriculum.

“During the lesson, while she was teaching about the personal space bubbles and they were talking about private parts and safe and unsafe touching, this teacher notices that (the alleged victim) seemed a bit withdrawn,” she said.

“(The alleged victim) told the teacher that certain things had been happening to her … she had some difficulty saying the words and to some extent, she was conveying what she was saying by talking but also by drawing.

“Through those simple drawings and through what she conveyed to her teacher on that day, (the alleged victim), on the prosecution case, was conveying to her teacher that she had been, that she was being, sexually abused by the accused.”

Ms Dunlop said the accused had been living with the girl’s mother, but after the relationship ended, he moved in with his sister.

“So, on the prosecution case, the offending that had been happening Monday to Thursday or Monday to Friday (while at her mother’s house) … now became offending on the weekends,” she said.

A man is facing trial charged with the sexual abuse of a child.

Ms Dunlop said, after the girl told her teacher of the alleged abuse, it was reported to police and she undertook three prerecorded interviews.

“You will see she is asked some questions about why it is she didn’t say anything before that day and you will hear (the alleged victim) say that until the Child Protection Curriculum on that day, until that day, she didn’t know what was happening to her was abuse,” she said.

“She thought it was all fine. She thought that (the accused) was doing the right thing and she thought that (he) had spoken to her mum about it and that her mum thought it was fine and on the prosecution case, she thought that because that’s what the accused … had told her.

“You will hear her talk about the fact, as she’s asked, that she didn’t want to be doing these things … but you will hear her say that when she would tell him that she didn’t want to do these things, that he would threaten her, he would threaten her mum, he would threaten (her sibling).

“He would threaten to hurt them and you will also hear in her evidence that when she didn’t want to do these things he would threaten her physically as well.”

Peter Hill, for the accused, asked for the jury to consider whether the allegations had arisen as a result of a dream.

“A real issue that will arise for your consideration of that question will be whether these allegations may have arisen as a result of a dream, especially in circumstances when the young girl spent the first two police interviews repeatedly stating it was all a dream,” he said.

“And the story doesn’t change until a month later with the third interview that you’ve heard about and you’ll see.

“As the evidence unfolds, consider what else she might have been exposed to that could result in her talking about such horrific dreams.”

The trial before a jury continues.