Trial for man accused of sexually abusing two young girls

A trial into a Hobart man accused of abusing two young girls in separate incidents is underway with a court told he confessed to a family member after charges were laid.

Trial for Hobart man accused of sexually abusing two young girls in separate incidents more than 10 years ago. Picture: Stock image

A Supreme Court jury has heard that a Hobart man accused of sexually abusing two young girls in separate incidents more than 10 years ago told a family member “he had f …. d up” during a tearful admission made in the wake of the allegations being made public.

The man, who the Mercury has chosen not to name to protect the identity of the complainants, appeared before Justice Helen Wood on Monday to plead not guilty to one count of indecent assault, two counts of sexual aggravated assault, and one count of indecent assault directed at a child.

During opening addresses, prosecutors said the first charge related to alleged offending that occurred some time between November 2006 and December 2008, while the remaining charges involved a second victim allegedly abused multiple times in 2015.

The court heard that after the man assaulted the first complainant one night inside a suburban Hobart bedroom, he told her not to tell anybody or he could go to jail.

The jury was told that the second victim was allegedly assaulted by the defendant as he read a group of children a bedtime story, and on another occasion soon afterwards on a boat trip on the River Derwent.

Prosecutors said that soon after the defendant was charged by police in 2023, he was confronted by a family member who demanded an explanation as to the allegations.

The court heard the man had broken down crying, telling the relative the incident was nine years ago, that two of the allegations were true, and that he did not want to go to jail.

In reply, defence counsel, John Munro, told the jury his client was presumed innocent from the outset, and that it was up to the state to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Wood said the jury would hear evidence from the two complainants, as well as other witnesses including police, during a case that was expected to run for six days.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Trial for man accused of sexually abusing two young girls