The trial of a Paget man charged with sexually assaulting a young girl began yesterday in Supreme Court, with the complainant taking the stand.

The 46-year-old defendant has denied four counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault, with all of the offences allegedly taking place between September 2012 and March 2013.

Neither he nor the complainant, who is under the age of 13, can be identified for legal reasons.

Opening the Crown’s case yesterday, prosecutor Karen King said the first incident took place sometime in 2012, and the incidents continued for several months until the girl told her mother about what was happening to her.

“She was confused and frightened by what was happening to her and didn’t tell anyone because she was afraid she would get in trouble,” Ms King told the jury. Testifying from behind a screen, the complainant told the court that the defendant had sex with her on multiple occasions, both in his bed during the daytime and at night in the bedroom that she shared with her brother.

While she could not recall the specific dates of the incidents, she was able to say what grade she was in at the time and where she was living. Asked about the incidents, she recalled that on one occasion the defendant struck her in the forehead with a stick after she asked him to stop. She said the hit caused some swelling, but she could not recall how long the swelling lasted.

Asked why she had not told anyone about what was happening, she said: “I thought I was going to get in trouble.”

The schoolgirl told the court that she eventually told her brother about what was happening, and then she told her mother.

The trial is set to continue today.