A jury on Wednesday found a man in his late 40s guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, bringing to a close a trial that began in July under the direction of Justice Ann Marie Smith.
The assaults occurred in December 2021, when the man, then 45, was the romantic partner of a family friend where the child had been staying for a weekend.
Prosecutors said he entered her bedroom while she slept and touched her, frightening her. He later returned to escalate the assault, and during a separate incident, pulled her from a shower and assaulted her again despite her attempts to resist.
The jury returned a guilty verdict after deliberating on the evidence. Smith denied the defendant’s request to remain free on bail. Sentencing is set for Oct. 24.
