Hervey Bay grandfather found not guilty of indecent treatment charges

A two-day trial of a Hervey Bay grandfather has found him not guilty of molestation charges.

A grandfather has been found not guilty of molesting his nine-year-old granddaughter after a trial in Hervey Bay.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent dealing as the trial got underway before a jury in Hervey Bay District Court.

On Wednesday, Crown Prosecutor Bernhard Berger told the court the girl regularly stayed at her grandfather’s Urangan home, sometimes overnight, while her father and stepmother worked.

He alleged the grandfather “breached her trust” on two occasions.

The first alleged incident was in June or July, 2020.

The prosecution said the alleged touching on that occasion lasted about 15 seconds and made the girl “feel uncomfortable”.

The court heard the girl went to the bathroom and cried, staying there until her dad arrived to pick her up.

On the second alleged occasion, the girl was laying on a blow-up mattress in the lounge room of her grandfather’s home.

The grandfather allegedly approached the girl and squeezed the top of her thighs before kissing her on the cheek, the court was told.

She then hopped off the mattress and went outside to join other family members, the court heard and later disclosed the alleged abuse to another child and the information “trickled back” to her father and stepmother.

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.