A teenager tearfully told the Supreme Court yesterday how an adult man sexually violated her in his office while she was still in middle school.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the defendant from the stand: “I don’t understand how you could do that. You hurt me.”

The defendant, a 58-year-old Devonshire man, has denied allegations that he sexually touched the girl while in a position of trust.

He has also denied that he had unlawful carnal knowledge of the same girl.

All of the offences allegedly took place between November 2008 and December 2017 at both the defendant’s workplace and the girl’s home.

As the trial continued yesterday, the complainant said the defendant first sexually touched her in the bathroom of her family home.

She said she could not recall the day or time of the incident, but that she was still in primary school at the time.

The witness told the court the incident left her confused and in pain, but she didn’t tell anyone out of fear that they would not believe her.

She admitted that she would sometimes lie to her family for attention, which caused her to think she would not be believed. The teenager said that another incident happened in the defendant’s office while she was enrolled in middle school. She told the court that she had been helping at the place of his employment and, after completing a task in his office, put her head down on his desk and dozed off.

The witness said: “I don’t know how long I rested for before I felt somebody watching me.

“I put my head up and I turned around and I saw him looking at me. He had a blank face and he was leaning on his elbows with his hands together.”

She said he then moved towards her, removed his pants and sexually assaulted her.

After several minutes, he pulled his pants up and left the office, walking to a nearby bathroom.

When he returned, she said he told her he had to go to a meeting and left again.

The witness said: “I couldn’t understand why he was doing that to me, why he did that. I looked up to him.”

Again she said she did not tell anyone about what happened because she was scared, ashamed and did not think her family would believe her.

She also described another incident, which happened during the summer while she was still in middle school.

The teenager told the court she was at home alone when the defendant came to the house with her lunch.

She let him into the house and took the food to her bedroom. As she sat on her bed, she said the defendant went to her door and smiled at her. She said: “His smile was fake. It wasn’t sincere, I can tell you that. His eyes were bloodshot red as if he was angry.”

The witness said he walked up to her, pushed her back on to the bed and forced himself onto her.

She said: “He forced me to stay down. He pinned me down.

“I was in so much pain. I kept saying ‘ow’. I was screaming ‘ow’.”

After several minutes, she said he left her and went to the bathroom. She said he then returned to her doorway and said: “I dare you to tell anyone. No one will believe a little girl like you.”

She said she then heard him leave the house, walk to his vehicle and leave the property.

The trial continues.

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