Cairns crime: Jack Patrick Bon pleads not guilty to six counts of indecent treatment of a child aged under 16
Jury deliberations in the case of a man facing six charges of indecent treatment of a child under 16 will flow into a second day as the case continues in Cairns District Court.
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A MAN who pleaded not guilty to six counts of indecent treatment of a child aged under 16 is waiting to learn his fate with a District Court jury yet to reach a verdict.
Jack Patrick Bon, 45, pleaded not guilty to all charges before Judge Paul Smith at the trial which started on May 20.
The complainant alleged the six offences occurred over eight years in Cairns.
She alleged that on different dates and at two addresses, the accused touched her inappropriately.
The court was closed at times during the trial with the complainant and her brother giving evidence.
Prosecutor Aaron Dunkerton told the court in March 2020 the complainant disclosed what had been happening.
“It will be your assessment of her and her evidence and what she says that will ultimately be very important in this trial,” Mr Dunkerton told the jury.
Defence barrister Michael Dalton urged the jury to keep an open mind.
“Offending of this nature is terrible to any right thinking person, but the thing is, that’s if it has occurred – none of these allegations are true,” Mr Dalton said.
The jury began deliberating on Monday afternoon until 5pm when they suspended deliberations and will resume at 9am on Tuesday.
The complainant’s mother was in tears as she gave evidence in court on Monday.
“She came in bawling her eyes out and said (he) had been touching her … I asked did he touch inside her and she said no … she was really broken and crying so much, I couldn’t get much out of her,” the mother said.
Her mother said she connected the complainant with a youth pastor at her church and arranged for her to see a church counsellor. She said at the time her daughter was somewhat rebellious, stealing from her and running away.
Mr Dalton pointed to considerable inconsistencies in the dates the complainant cited for the offences.
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Originally published as Cairns crime: Jack Patrick Bon pleads not guilty to six counts of indecent treatment of a child aged under 16
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