Southern Downs man acquitted after verdict returned in four charges related to indecent treatment

A Southern Downs man who pleaded not guilty to four charges of indecent treatment, has walked free after being found not guilty by the jury.

Judge gavel, scales of justice and law books in court generic Townsville

A Southern Downs man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – has been found not guilty of four offences relating to the alleged indecent treatment of two girls in late 2020 and 2021.

After two hours of deliberations, the jury returned a not guilty verdict in Warwick District Court and was acquitted of the charges by Judge Terry Gardiner for all four charges.

On Wednesday morning, defence lawyer Jessica Goldie summed the case up and noted several prominent flaws in the Crown’s case.

While the Crown alleged the man offended against the child while she was “vulnerable and dependant” on him, while she was sleeping, Ms Goldie said it was an improbable accusation as the child stayed in bed with the man after the so-called offending occurred.

“She didn’t make a complaint after the first incident,” Ms Goldie said, referring to the fact the two counts the man faced were spaced months apart.

“There is also the risk of being caught offending, are the claims of abuse plausible, especially when there are other people in the house during the time the offending is said to have occurred?”

Ms Goldie also pointed out a major flaw in the crown’s argument, saying when the alleged victim complained about the man’s accused actions, she brought up a spat of other things before it, as if “the sexual offending was not the primary complaint”.

Originally published as Southern Downs man acquitted after verdict returned in four charges related to indecent treatment