UPDATE, Wednesday, 1.40pm: A Warrnambool jury has returned guilty verdicts to all four charges involving a Corangamite district farrier accused of having sex with a pre-pubescent girl.
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Harold John Albert Barry, 68, also known as John Barry, had pleaded not guilty in Warrnambool County Court to four sex assault charges in a trial which started last week.
The charges alleged counts of sexual penetration, masturbating in front of a girl and showing a girl pornography at three locations in the south-west.
The jury retired to consider verdicts on Tuesday, but returned to court soon after 1pm Wednesday.
Barry has now been remanded in custody until April 24 so a psychological report can be prepared.
It's expected that a plea hearing will be held on April 24 followed by a sentencing on a yet-to-be determined date.
Judge Paul Higham also ordered that Barry be medically assessed in custody as the farrier has an arthritis condition which requires medication.
Tuesday: A Warrnambool juror has been discharged and the remaining 11 have retired to consider verdicts in a trial involving a Corangamite district farrier accused of having sex with a pre-pubescent girl.
Harold John Albert Barry, 68, also known as John Barry, has pleaded not guilty in Warrnambool County Court to four sex assault charges.
He initially pleaded not guilty to an additional four alternative charges which have since been withdrawn.
The charges allege counts of sexual penetration, masturbating in front of a girl and showing a girl pornography.
Judge Paul Higham explained the charges related to alleged incidents at three locations in the south-west.
Mr Barry has been a farrier working in the horse and racing industry for many years across the western district.
The complainant, who is aged under 16 years old, told the court she was shown pornographic magazines and DVDs, a vibrator in a multi-coloured pencil case and baby oil.
Police say those items were found in Mr Barry's car.
In his closing address crown prosecutor David Cordy said the accused man was a person the victim liked and trusted.
He said Mr Barry "took her places, did nice things for her, gave her stuff, and really to be quite blunt, gained her trust, gained the trust of those around her, groomed her and then used her for his own perverted, disgraceful pleasure".
"Isn't that what you thought rather than that (the victim) was a liar and you didn't believe anything she said?" he asked the jury.
Barrister David Cronin said Mr Barry had pleaded not guilty after vigorously denying he had done anything improper to the complainant and offering to take a lie detector test.
He said there was doubt about the victim's credibility, no eyewitnesses, no DNA or medical evidence and the case came down to whether the jury accepted the complainant's evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
A juror was discharged on Tuesday morning due to a medical emergency.
The remaining six woman-five man jury retired to consider verdicts about 2pm.
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