A Verulam man accused of gross sexual abuse and the rape of his stepdaughter has pleaded not guilty to 56 charges ranging from rape, sexual exploitation of a child, human trafficking, and the creation of child pornography.
The 45-year-old man was arrested in June 2018 after the child – who was 11 at the time – told a neighbour she was being abused.
It is alleged that the man hadn’t enrolled the child in school and had instead kept her locked up at home, where he abused her and forced her to cook and clean.
A 66-page indictment details the extensive abuse the child is said to have endured.
Despite the arrest having been made in 2018, here we sit, over two years later, with no justice having been served. In fact, when the trial was scheduled to take place earlier this month, it was yet again postponed due to the fact that the accused was not feeling well as a result of him not having taken his medication for his diabetes for the previous two days.
While due process must be followed, is our justice system failing those in need when it seemingly fails to consider the victim and the effect that protracted litigation and prosecution may have on them?
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Author – Jessica Gooding
