An Invercargill man in his 80s is on trial this week for alleged historical sex crimes against a young girl.
The man, who has interim name suppression, appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday on five charges of indecent assault and three of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
Crown prosecutor Mary-Jane Thomas told the jury the man massaged the girl’s thighs and on one occasion used a vibrator on her.
"The Crown allege that between the complainant being 11 and 13, the defendant would sexually violate and indecently assault her on multiple occasions," she said.
The court heard the defendant would buy the girl many gifts, including cigarettes and alcohol.
"This was a way of ensuring this child did not say anything," Ms Thomas said.
In her police interview, the complainant said the defendant was inappropriately touching her for years.
"I feel like it went on forever, but I don’t know how long it actually went on for," she said.
"I didn’t know how to act or what to do and then he would just buy me ... whatever I wanted," she said.
Because the man had spoiled her with gifts, she felt obliged to do what he said and keep quiet about the offending, she said.
But when she was a teenager, she confronted him.
In response, he tipped out the alcohol he had bought her and ran the cigarettes under water.
She recalled him saying something like "I’m not f...... buying you anything any more".
After she confronted him, there was no further offending she said.
The complainant described the defendant as "creepy" and said she was uncomfortable around him.
Counsel Hugo Young said the complainant had made these allegations up.
"The complainant is lying when she says these things happened, because they didn’t happen," he said.
The trial is being presided over by Judge Duncan Harvey and is expected to last about four days.
felicity.dear@odt.co.nz , PIJF court reporter
