Grandfather found guilty in sexual interference case

“There was no issue with respect to the identity of the accused,” Majawa said. “All these incidents occurred while the complainant was under the age of 16, and the accused knew that. There is no doubt that these incidents occurred in Prince George during the time set out in the indictment. There is no doubt that all this touching was for a sexual purpose.”

The single charge covered a period of nearly six years, from Jan. 1, 2016 to Nov. 6, 2021, when the victim was between the ages of six and 11. The girl testified that her grandfather coerced her into performing sex acts on him in family-style change rooms at public swimming pools and in the hot tub and computer room at his residence. She also described ways that he acted in a harassing manner.

“The sexual abuse perpetrated by an individual in this position must have had a profoundly disturbing effect on the complainant’s psyche,” Majawa remarked. “She testified that, despite what had happened, she did not initially want to get her grandfather into trouble and that she wanted to continue to see her grandparents.”

Majawa said the victim provided compelling evidence, but sometimes described “brain fog” and provided new details in court that she did not mention during interviews with police officers. She sometimes had difficulty recalling details about dates, times and frequency of the incidents, but Majawa said the courts have decided there is a lower threshold for measuring credibility of a child witness because of how a child’s memory works and how a child is affected by trauma.

“Particularly in circumstances with a person who is alleged to have perpetrated the sexual touching was the complainant’s grandfather, a person who occupied a position of trust and, while she was living with him, a position of authority,” Majawa said.

In one incident, the girl testified that her grandfather wore blue Toronto Maple Leafs sweatpants while he exposed his penis to her in front of the computer. She also told the court that he said he could not wait until she had breasts while they were watched animated pornography on his computer that depicted an adult woman with large breasts.

“[She] testified that whenever she would eat food shaped like a penis, such as sausages, pepperoni, hot dogs or popsicles, the accused would smirk or wiggle his eyebrows at her, like it was some sort of weird inside joke. She testified that she now avoids eating these types of foods because it feels weird.”

The grandfather pleaded not guilty and testified in his own defence. He did make some concessions, “arguably, not in his interest,” the judge said, such as watching pornography on his computer.

However, Majawa called his testimony “little more than a bare denial.”

For instance, he testified that his computer contained screen saver images depicting naked or scantily clad women, but they would only appear when he activated them.

Majawa did not believe him.

“It is difficult to understand how the complainant would know that the accused watched pornography in the manner he did, unless she was exposed to it by him,” Majawa said.

by Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen

Grandfather found guilty in sexual interference case

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