By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN accused of inappropriately touching his stepdaughter in 2019 claimed he simply went to check on the girl because she suffers from seizures and did not touch her inappropriately as alleged.
The complainant alleges that when she was 18 years old, her stepfather came into her room on the night of May 11, 2019, shone his phone light between her legs and poked her private parts.
Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain presided over the trial, and Sergeant Deon Barr served as prosecutor.
Milton Cox represented the accused, whose name is being withheld to protect the child’s identity.
Sergeant Chris Curry testified that the morning after the alleged incident, he went to the defendant’s residence on Montgomery Avenue after receiving a rape complaint.
Sgt Curry said when he informed the defendant of the complaint, the stepfather said: “Rape, officer? The only thing I did was go into my stepdaughter’s bedroom to check on her cuz she has seizures. I then rubbed her back to make sure that she was still breathing.”
Attorney Cox told the officer his client never said he rubbed his stepdaughter’s back, but Sgt Curry disagreed.
Detective Constable Dario Sturrup testified that during the defendant’s police interview, he denied the allegations.
DC Sturrup said the accused said he stood over his stepdaughter with his phone light turned on to check if she was breathing.
The defendant’s bail will continue until his next trial date on November 16.
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