Gympie man not guilty of indecent treatment of child charge

A Gympie District Court jury has returned its verdict after a day of deliberations in the case of a man charged with two counts of indecent treatment of his cousin, a child.

A Gympie region man has been found not guilty of an allegation he molested his cousin, but the jury was unable to reach any conclusion on a second charge following a two-day trial.

A Gympie region man has been found not guilty of an allegation he molested his cousin, but the jury was unable to reach any conclusion on a second charge following a two-day trial in the Gympie District Court.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the complainant’s identity, was charged with two counts of indecent treatment of a child.

He pleaded not guilty.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said in his opening submissions on Tuesday the alleged offences happened in 2017 and 2021.

Mr Stark said the first alleged offence happened while the girl was playing The Sims in his bedroom.

The court heard she was sitting on his lap as there was no chair available.

A Gympie District Court jury reached a unanimous not guilty verdict on one charge of indecent treatment, but not the other.

While she was playing, he allegedly grabbed her breasts with both hands, first over her playsuit and then under it.

She ended the abuse by excusing herself to visit the toilet, Mr Stark said.

The complainant then kept her distance by “not going to his room alone”, but he later allegedly groped her again while her family was in Gympie to visit a grandparent before they died.

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Mr Stark said on this occasion she was playing on the computer in the defendant’s brother’s room when the defendant walked in and grabbed her right breast.

The court was told the act was allegedly witnessed by another family member who walked into the room.

On Thursday, March 27, the jury reached a unanimous not guilty verdict on one charge, but not the other.

The jury was discharged, and the remaining matter adjourned for mention next week.