Predator, 27, sexually abused a seven-year-old girl for three years after meeting her parents at a Bible study group – before bravely helping cops snare her attacker
- The young Queensland girl helped police snare Jamie Winston Harris by a call
- Harris, 27, appeared in Toowoomba District Court last year and was found guilty
- The devout Christian appealed the convictions, with a ruling made on Tuesday
- Appeal judges dismissed appeal to overturn his conviction stating it did not help
A predator who sexually abused a seven-year-old girl for three years after meeting her parents at a Bible study group has been sentenced.
The young Queensland girl helped police snare Jamie Winston Harris by calling him and asking about his attacks. Little did he know, the phone call was being recorded.
Harris, 27, appeared in Toowoomba District Court last year where he was found guilty of multiple charges of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child and indecent dealing, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
The devout Christian appealed the convictions, with a ruling made on Tuesday.
Jamie Winston Harris sexually abused the girl from when she was seven to 10 (stock image)
Harris would be attending Bible sessions at the girl’s house and would then go into the girl’s room once the session ended (stock)
The Queensland Court of Appeal heard that the girl was abused from when she was seven until she was 10 years old.
Harris attended Bible sessions at the girl’s house and would then go into the girl’s room once the session ended.
The court heard he would stroke her hair and touch her body saying, ‘this is special, I love you’.
The young girl told the jury that this happened ‘on most occasions’ and also occurred when the family was away on holiday.
Police then organised for the young girl to call Harris and question why he did what he did.
‘Stuff happened between us and I just kind of wanted to understand why. So you remember when you used to … come into my room and touch me and … on camping trips and stuff and all the stuff that went on?’ the court heard the recording.
‘I just don’t really understand it meself. Yeah I, I really don’t understand it either,’ Harris replied.
The recording heard him repeatedly denying that he raped her.
Harris was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison and can be eligible for parole in November 2020 (stock)
Speaking to the Queensland Court of Appeal, Harris said that he could not have abused the victim at her house because someone would have seen or heard something.
He also said that when he said, ‘I love you’ to the victim, it was misunderstood by the jury in the fact that he meant it in the same way he loves her family.
Despite the call, the appeal judges dismissed his appeal to overturn his conviction stating it did not help Harris’ case at all.
‘The appellant made unambiguous admissions that he had had some kind of romantic interest in the complainant, which had caused him to touch her in a way which he admitted was inappropriate,’ the judges said.
‘The jury was able to use that evidence to find that he had a sexual interest in her upon which he was prepared to act, thereby increasing the probability that he had done so by other conduct.’
Harris was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison and can be eligible for parole in November 2020.