Trial begins for Tarentum man charged with sexually assaulting child
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A trial for a Tarentum man charged with sexually assaulting a 6-year-old opened this week in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, where the alleged victim took the stand Thursday.
Brian Jefferies, 27, is charged with aggravated indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact, endangering the welfare of children, indecent exposure, indecent assault and corruption of minors stemming from a series of incidents early last year.
Allegheny County Police arrested Jefferies on April 28, 2023. His trial began Wednesday before Judge Jill E. Rangos.
On Thursday, the alleged victim, who is now 8, took the stand and testified for about an hour.
The child described being sexually assaulted by Jefferies several times.
“It made me feel scared of him,” the child said.
During opening statements on Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Lisa Carey said that the jurors will have to base their verdict on the credibility of the alleged victim, who would “describe things that are very difficult to hear.
“But I would put to you that they are more difficult to tell.”
Often, the prosecutor said, victims who are sexually abused as children don’t come forward until adulthood.
“When children disclose while they’re still children, that is a very brave thing,” Carey said.
In Jefferies’ case, the child disclosed the alleged crime to a relative and a teacher.
Carey acknowledged to the jury that there was no physical evidence against Jefferies, but that is not unusual, she said.
“Testimony is evidence,” Carey said.
In her opening statement, Jefferies’ attorney, Carissa Davenport, told the jury that the child is lying.
“It did not happen,” Davenport said. “Children are impressionable. They’re easily influenced by people around them in positions of power.”
Davenport told the jurors that the prosecutor would attempt to appeal to their emotions.
“Sexual assault is a horrible thing. But you know what else is an equally horrible thing?” Davenport asked. “Being accused of a horrible crime you didn’t do.”
Jefferies is also charged with rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in an unrelated case involving a different alleged victim more than 10 years ago.
That person, who was a minor at the time but is now an adult, went to police after learning Jefferies had been arrested in the case involving the child victim.
The case dating back more than a decade case will be tried separately. No trial date was listed Thursday on the docket.