The mother of a schoolgirl who says she was sexually assaulted was reluctant to tell the Police, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.

As the trial of the 46-year-old Paget man accused of multiple sex offences against the girl continued yesterday, a family friend testified that the child’s mother was hesitant to press charges because of the impact it would have on the girl.

All of the incidents allegedly took place between September 2012 and March 2013. Neither the defendant nor the victim, who is under the age of 13, can be identified for legal reasons. Earlier this week, the schoolgirl testified that the defendant had repeatedly had sex with her over the course of several months.

On one occasion, she said, the defendant had struck her on the forehead with a stick to quiet her.

She said she had kept the incidents secret because she was afraid of getting into trouble, but eventually told her younger brother and later her mother.

As the trial continued yesterday, a family friend took the stand, telling the court that the girl’s mother told her about the allegations in March 2013.

“I begged her mother to press charges,” she said.

“She didn’t want to put [her daughter] through it at first. She didn’t want her exposed.”

As a result of the mother’s reluctance to press charges against the defendant, the witness said she did not see her or her daughter for several months.

Asked why she did not call the Police herself, she expressed concern that it would negatively impact the mother.

She also told the court that she had no contact with the defendant until a chance encounter in “Place’s Cafe”. She said she confronted the defendant about the allegations before calling the girl’s mother.

“He had left the country entirely and I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back, so once he did arrive back, in the best interest of [the complainant], I called her mother and told her to call the Police,” she said.

The witness said the defendant was arrested that same day.

Under cross examination, she said she had not questioned the girl about the sexual assaults, but she recalled a conversation in which the girl said a verse in a song reminded her of what had happened.

“I told her it’s going to be okay,” she said. “I believe I told her that I had been through something similar. I told her she’d get through this, that I will help her through this.”

She admitted making a negative comment about the defendant, which she repeated in a witness statement, but said she did not believe her comments had any negative impact on the girl.

“I think it assisted her to open up and not to be afraid,” she said. “I wanted to let her know that she’s not the only person to go through this.”

The witness also told the court that after the allegations came to light, she and the child’s mother took the girl to the Government Clinic to be examined.

“It was to confirm whether her hymen had been broken and if she had any type of infection,” she said. “Her hymen was broken. There was nothing showing any infection.”

The trial continues today.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding active court cases. This is to prevent any statements being published that may jeopardise the outcome of that case.