Update October 4, 2016: The accused in this case has been found not guilty on all charges.
Testimony in Vernon Supreme Court Tuesday was at times difficult to listen to as the trial of a foster father accused of sexual abuse began.
The north Okanagan man is facing seven charges for allegedly abusing two of his former foster children. The charges include counts of sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching.
The accused has entered not guilty pleas in response to all seven charges.
Global News cannot identify him because of a publication ban that protects the identity of the complainants. There is a possibility that revealing his name would allow some to identify his former foster children.
On Tuesday, one of the two young complainants took the stand. She alleged that she was the victim of repeated sexual advances by her foster father. The alleged incidents she described involved sexual touching and oral sex.
She described being 10 years old when her foster father allegedly touched her sexually during a family trip to Disneyland.
During cross examination, defence counsel questioned the teen’s memory and why her statements Tuesday differed from a statement she made at the preliminary inquiry about the timeline of the abuse.
She said her statement in court Tuesday was correct on that point and said she didn’t remember the details of the previous court date.
“It is something you push out of your head, especially when it is for something like this. It makes you feel like crap all the time,” said the teen, when asked why she didn’t remember the details of the preliminary inquiry.
Defence counsel also questioned the teen’s memories surrounding the Disneyland incident including whether she had the time of day correct and whether another family member was around at the time the abuse was alleged to have happened.
“Your memory sort of goes in and out,” defence counsel put to the witness.
At that point, the teen brought up a bike accident she had and added that she has had memory problems.
The trial is scheduled for five days. There is no jury so the decision will be up to a judge alone.
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