Trial opens of local man accused of molesting girl

THE trial of a Mountjoy man alleged to have put his hand up the shirt of a ten-year-old girl at a North Coast caravan park over two years ago opened at the start of this week.

Steven Arnold (34), of Colhoun Terrace, is alleged to have told his young victim, “This is what friends do.”

His trial began on Monday at Antrim Crown Court.

Arnold denies sexually assaulting the same child on dates between March 2022 and August 2022 at the Golden Sands Caravan Park, Benone.

On the first two days, the court heard evidence and cross-examinations of the alleged victim, her parents, a teenage friend of the alleged victim and the police interview transcripts with Arnold.

The alleged victim explained to the court on Monday that, during the spring and summer months of 2022, while her family was staying at the caravan park, she had become friendly with Arnold, who was a caretaker at the grounds.

As time went on, the girl went with Arnold (pictured) to lock the park gates in the late evening. However, this is when she alleges the assaults happened.

Derelict house

The girl told the court how, on one evening around 9pm, they were walking back from locking the play park gate when Arnold stopped at a derelict house and put his hand up her vest, touching her chest.

She said that Arnold told her, “This is what friends do,” adding that this happened ‘more than three times’.

One of the other alleged instances involved a friend of the complainant, who was aged 13 at the time and reportedly witnessed the assault.

The now 15-year-old gave evidence in court on Tuesday. However, she said that the incident happened in ‘clear light’.

Senior counsel Seamus McNeil, representing the defence, put it to the witness that it was possible she didn’t witness the alleged incident all all because of being on her phone.

However, the witness said she saw Arnold put his hand up the ten-year-old’s shirt.

The parents of the alleged victim gave evidence after, with an emotional outburst from the mother, who refused an offer to take a break from Her Honour Judge Fiona Bagnall.

The parents of the victim said she disclosed the allegation to her father on a Sunday night in June of 2022, which they reported to the police a week later.

However, defence counsel Michael Forde said there was no record of the 101 call, which a police detective confirmed later in the hearing.

At the end of the hearing on Tuesday, the voluntary police interview of Arnold was disclosed to the court.

In the interview Arnold claimed that the ten-year-old had been following him around the caravan park when he was locking up, despite him later telling her to go home.

He said that, because of his suspected Asperger’s, dyspraxia and ‘other difficulties’, that he assumed that he was friends with the girl, but admitted that they had not had contacted since March of last year.

When the allegations were put to him, he denied ever touching the girl, stating he ‘doesn’t know why she said that’.

The trial, expected to last until the end of the week, was then adjourned until today (Thursday).