Warwick man pleads not guilty to 11 charges, including 7 rape charges, threatening, assault

The trial of a Southern Downs man who allegedly assaulted and sexually abused three boys has begun, with a jury told the man threatened to shoot the boys if they dared expose his sick alleged offending. WARNING: DISTRESSING.

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The trial of a Southern Downs man accused of assaulting and sexually abusing three young children over the course of two years has begun, after his first trial was abandoned in May.

The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – faces 11 charges, including seven counts of rape, two charges of intent to alarm with a weapon, one charge each of unlawful sexual relations with a minor under 16 and assault with intent to rape all relating to a period of two years of alleged offending in the Granite Belt area.

On one occurrence it will be alleged that two of the boys were locked outside the residence with one of the boys punched in the stomach before being sexually assaulted.

Crown prosecutor Tegan Little opened her address to the jury recounting some of the sickening alleged threats made to the three boys, which often included threats of violence using a gun, with the man telling one of the alleged victims “if you tell anyone, lead will be in your head”.

It is understood this was alleged to have happened only a week after the boys were locked outside the house.

“(The boy) was offended against at least 30 times,” Ms Little said.

On one of the earlier offending occurrences, one of the boys was forced into a sex act with the Crown telling the court the boy was “too scared to resist”.

Two of the charges levelled against the man took place on the same day according to the prosecution, with two separate boys being raped by the man in the house.

He plead not guilty to all 11 charges on the first day of his retrial in Warwick District Court on July 31 in front of Judge Terry Gardiner.

Defence barrister Wesley Seewald told the court during his opening address to remember that the man was innocent until proven otherwise by the Crown.

The court was closed for the remainder of the day in order to play evidence from the alleged victims.

The trial will continue on Tuesday.

Originally published as Warwick man pleads not guilty to 11 charges, including 7 rape charges, threatening, assault