Judge acquits man accused of touching stepdaughter, cites pressure from girl's family

Photo: Castanet Staff

A judge has acquitted a Kamloops-area man accused of sexually assaulting his young stepdaughter, in part because the girl was encouraged to go to police only after her mother caught the accused in bed with another woman.

The 32-year-old man cannot be named under a court-ordered publication ban put in place to protect the identity of the complainant.

Court heard the abuse was alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2016, when the girl was between 11 and 13 years of age.

The man was accused of entering the girl’s bedroom on a regular basis and sexually touching her. He was also accused of making the young girl touch him sexually.

At trial, the girl said she didn’t report the abuse until 2019, when she was 16. The girl’s mom, who also testified, said she encouraged her daughter to go to police in August of 2019 — after she and the accused had separated, and the day after she went to his house and found him in bed with his new girlfriend.

Court heard the girl was also pressured by other relatives.

The man denied all allegations. He said he never touched the girl in an inappropriate manner.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sharon Matthews called the girl's story "compelling," but said the evidence left her with doubts about the man’s guilt — so she had to find him not guilty.

“There are gaps in the evidence about what pressure was being relayed to [the girl] by family members,” the judge said.

“Given the gaps, and that she went to police the day after [her mom found the man in bed with another woman], I have reasonable doubt.”