A 34-year old man who admitted a charge of child cruelty against his partner’s daughter was issued with a three-year restraining order today (Wednesday).
The Co Down man, who can’t be named to protect the identity of the teenage victim, was also handed a six-month prison sentence which was suspended for two years.
The defendant pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to a child and admitted that on dates between February 1 and August 14, 2020 he ‘unlawfully assaulted and ill treated’ her ‘in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering or injury to health’.
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Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast heard the charge covers two separate incidents - one when the girl was 12 and a second just after her 13th birthday. She told police that on the first occasion, she was on her phone in the living room when her mother’s partner came in.
She said he grabbed her by the thigh and that during this, he made contact between her legs which made her feel uncomfortable. The teenager, who is now 15, said a second incident took place just after her 13th birthday. As she sat on the sofa, he grabbed her by the arm which left a bruise.
Following this, she disclosed what happened to a family member, the police were alerted and she has not returned to her mother’s home. When he was arrested, the defendant told police he had a good relationship with his partner’s daughter but had not seen her since she moved out.
Whilst he admitted the charge, he did so on the basis there was no sexual element to his offending whatsoever. Judge Geoffrey Miller KC spoke of the breach of trust and said the incidents occurred in the child’s home where she was “entitled to feel safe”.
He added the girl has been left “angry and embarrassed” and the anxiety she feels has been heightened by “the fact her mother has chosen to stand by the defendant”.
Defence submissions included reference to stresses the defendant was under at the time and an acceptance of the distress his actions caused to his young victim.
Judge Miller acknowledged both incidents were brief and the injury was confined to a bruise. He also accepted the defendant had a clear record and no matters pending.
After passing the suspended sentence, the Judge was also asked by a Crown barrister to imposed a three-year restraining order which bans the defendant from harassing, pestering or molesting the child or using threatening violence toward her.
A defence barrister said that as his client has had no contact with the child since the incidents, the order was unopposed.
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