(BARBADOSTODAY) A Vincentian-born man has admitted to indecently assaulting a seven-year-old girl back in 2015.
Joseph Augustin Cummings appeared before Madam Justice Michelle Weekes this morning in the No. 2 Supreme Court where he pleaded guilty to carrying out the September 1, 2015 crime when he was 46 years old.
The court heard from Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas that the minor was dropped off by her parents at the grandmother’s home where she was to spend the day. Later in the afternoon, the grandmother allowed the little girl to go outside to play.
The court heard that Cummings lifted the child, who went into the laundry room, through a window into his adjoining apartment and took her into his bedroom.
The facts by the prosecutor also revealed that he undressed the child and proceeded to kiss her in a rough manner, biting her tongue in the process. He also kissed other parts of the child’s body for what she said felt “like a long period”.
“This was also done roughly, which caused some discomfort and pain to the virtual complainant, but she did not cry or tell him to stop,” Thomas told the court.
Cummings then proceeded to perform oral and other sexual acts on the minor.
It was sometime during the act that the grandmother called out to the little girl and she left, fully clothed, and went back through the same window that Cummings had pulled her through.
When the minor reached her grandmother who was in bed at the time, she was questioned and she revealed what had taken place.
Thomas said the child told the grandmother it was not the first time that Cummings had done such a thing, but she did not say anything before because she was scared.
The matter was reported to the police and Cummings was taken into custody.
While being interviewed by investigators about the matter, the man allegedly said: “Let me tell you the truth, that happened by accident. That whole week I did seeing a funny vision in my sleep and I was just playing wid she and it get out of hand.”
Cummings continued: “. . . It was something like magic that come over me, cause me and them by the house where I live and where this happened . . . does live good and I like a part of the family.”
Cummings told police that the child was in the habit of coming by, playing and making jokes.
“That day she was playing with my head . . . She play with my beard and then she . . . throw she hands round me and start to kiss me on my face,” he said in his statement which gave a detailed account of what had occurred.
Thomas told the court that Cummings was taken back to the house and he pointed out the area where the incident occurred, and said, “the little girl was sitting right here and this is where we made love.”
After the facts were revealed, the judged ordered a pre-sentencing report on Cummings and a report on his time spent on remand at HMP Dodds.
He returns to court on April 5.
