A Bible study teacher has been convicted for sexually assaulting a child at least three times starting when she was 11-years-old.
Henry Cooper was found guilty of rape, grievous sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault in the Home Circuit Court on Monday.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16.
The worst of the three incidents occurred on March 9, 2018, when Cooper raped the then 12-year-old before instructing her to perform a sex act on him, according to evidence led during the trial by prosecutor Syleen O'Gilvie, an assistant director of public prosecutions.
The child was among five witnesses who gave evidence during the trial. The verdict by the seven-member jury was unanimous.
At the time of the sexual assaults, the child was living with her foster parents, who were also the leaders of the downtown, Kingston church where Cooper led Bible studies for children.
Cooper regularly visited the child's foster father, who is also the pastor of the church, at the family's St Andrew home to “pray about church affairs”, the prosecutor told the court.
The first incident occurred in 2017 while the child was 11-years-old.
Cooper went to the family's home while both parents were away and touched the child on her privates.
The second incident occurred on March 6, 2018, while the then 12-year-old child was preparing for primary school exams and was attending an evening class at a blind tutor's house in the community.
Cooper used his hand to touch the child on her privates there too.
Another assault came three days later at her home while her father was inside sleeping.
Cooper went to the house and saw the 12-year-old seated at the top of a flight of steps.
He pulled her towards him, but she told him to “let go”.
Instead, he dragged her down the steps to a private area, pulled down the lower parts of her clothing, leaned her against a wall and forcibly had sexual intercourse with the child.
He also fondled her before instructing the child to perform a sex act on him.
The child told her caregivers who accompanied Cooper, when he surrendered to the police on March 13, 2018.
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