Stepfather accused of raping his stepdaughter in a pigsty
A man accused of raping his stepdaughter in a Queensland farm's pigsty and sheds would sexually abuse the girl when her mother was on night shift, a court has heard.
The 64-year-old pleaded not guilty to 26 charges of abuse on 13 occasions in the 1980s on the opening day of his trial in Brisbane District Court.
It was despite allegations he confessed to the crimes to the girl and her mother.
The alleged victim, now 36, was aged between three and nine at the time of the abuse, prosecutor Melissa Wilson told the jury as she opened the crown case on Tuesday.
A man is accused of raping his stepdaughter in a Queensland farm's pigsty and sheds would sexually abuse the girl when her mother was on night shift. File photo
The court heard it became more serious when the man moved into the large farm, near Dalby, where the girl lived in early 1986 and did not end until he moved out after breaking up with her mother in 1990.
Ms Wilson alleged that in several instances the man touched the girl's genitals in an aviary before taking her to one of the sheds, where he would rape her.
He would often target the girl when her mother had gone to work a night shift at a local club.
The court heard he also allegedly abused her in her bedroom and the bedroom he shared with her mother.
The 64-year-old pleaded not guilty to 26 charges of abuse on 13 occasions in the 1980s on the opening day of his trial in Brisbane District Court (pictured)
Ms Wilson said the victim was expected to tell the jury she confronted her alleged abuser during a recorded phone call, made as part of a recent police investigation.
'You will hear (the alleged victim) ask him, saying: 'Why did you molest me?',' she said.
'He responded: 'I don't know. I can't answer that'.'
When she said it had occurred for a long time, the man apologised, the court heard.
'I'm sorry for all of those years,' he said, according to the crown case.
'I'm deeply sorry for the things I've done.'
The accused abuser also admitted the alleged crimes to the girl's mother after the girl told her in 1987, when she was aged six.
He went to a GP for help and was referred to a psychiatrist but the sexual assaults continued, the court heard.
The man's defence is expected to question the alleged victim's recollection.
The trial continues.