Jury finds Prestons man guilty of historical child sex offences
A 62-year-old Prestons man has been found guilty of assaulting five girls aged between five and 12 years old in Warwick Farm, Ingleburn, Lurnea and Airds between 1992 and 2012.
Liverpool
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A JURY has found a man charged with multiple historical child sex offences guilty of sexually assaulting young girls on a number of occasions over a 20 year period.
Stephen John Harmer, 62, of Prestons, was found guilty of five counts of aggravated sexual assault against a victim under the age of 16 years and two counts of indecent assault where a victim is under the age of 10 years.
He was also found guilty of common assault and possessing child abuse material.
Harmer was found not guilty by direction of having sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 10 years.
The jury handed its verdict last week after about six hours of deliberation following a month-long trial at Parramatta District Court.
Harmer pleaded not guilty to all counts.
He did not apply for bail and it was refused by the court.
Harmer was accused of sexually assaulting five girls aged between five and 12 years old in Warwick Farm, Ingleburn, Lurnea and Airds between 1992 and 2012.
In March 2015, Liverpool detectives established a strike force to investigate a number of allegations of sexual assault against him.
Police arrested Harmer in the early hours of July 2, 2015 and seized his computer and other property.
His identity was suppressed during the trial due to a non-publication order preventing his name from being published.
The order was made due to the potential threat of harm to his family.
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However, after a long drawn-out campaign by the Liverpool Leader to have the non-publication order lifted, it was set aside by Judge Arnott on Friday.
Harmer will be sentenced on May 26 at Downing Centre District Court.
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