A NORTHERN suburbs man has pleaded not guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court to 10 charges relating to the sexual abuse of two girls who were lineal or de facto relatives to him.
One of them was aged between 11 and 12 at the time of the complaint and the other aged from 12 to 17.
The assaults allegedly occurred between 2012 and 2017.
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READ NOWThe man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims, appeared in court on Friday, entering the pleas through his lawyer.
He showed little emotion during the hearing and remains on bail.
The accusations against him include two counts of sexually penetrating a child who is a lineal or de facto relative aged under 16; three counts of indecently dealing with a lineal relative or de facto child aged under 16; three counts of indecently dealing with a child who is a lineal or de facto relative; one count of persistently engaging in sexual conduct with a child aged under 16 and one count of encouraging a child who is a lineal relative to engage in sexual behaviour.
He is due in Perth Magistrates Court in December.
A lineal relative, in legal terms, is part of a person’s direct lineage such as a son, daughter, grandchild or sibling.
A de facto child is not a biological relation but is involved in a family setting, such as a step child.
Community Newspaper Group has been unable to determine whether the victims in this case were lineal or de facto relatives.