Dalby District Court: Chinchilla man acquitted of sexual assault charge following trial

A jury has returned a verdict of not guilty for a Chinchilla man who was on trial for one count of sexual assault after a woman alleged he touched her inappropriately at a busy Western Downs pub.

Dalby Court House

A man who was on trial for sexual assault has been found not guilty by a jury after it was alleged he reached between a woman’s legs and touched her inappropriately as she was climbing out of the window of a Chinchilla pub.

Patrick Anthony Connolly in Dalby District Court pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual assault.

The jury which consisted of 12 Western Downs residents, came to a quick decision when they acquitted Mr Connolly of the one charge Wednesday afternoon.

On the night of the alleged event, Crown prosecutor Natalie Lima told the jury that when interviewed by police Mr Connolly denied the allegations fully.

Throughout the trial, the jury viewed CCTV footage from the pub that evening, however the video did not explicitly show Mr Connolly touching the woman’s groin area, as she had alleged.

Defence barrister Frank Martin did not elect for Mr Connolly to make a statement in court.

The trial started Tuesday morning and concluded Wednesday March 15 with the jury delivering a verdict of not guilty.

Originally published as Dalby District Court: Chinchilla man acquitted of sexual assault charge following trial