A Tasmanian man who raped and sexually assaulted his young sisters has been found guilty 17 years after the abuse began.
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A Launceston Supreme Court jury took more than three hours on Friday to deliberate whether the man was guilty of maintaining a sexual relationship with three of his half-sisters.
The victims were 4, 7 and 14 when the abuse started in 2000 on Tasmania’s East Coast.
The man denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
The three victims gave evidence during the trial this week, describing different occasions when their brother would come into their room, touch them, kiss them, masturbate over them and vaginally and anally rape them.
They also spoke of Christmas camping trips when he would sneak into their tent, while the rest of the family was just meters away.
Each victim spoke of separate occasions across a number of years.
The girls did not tell each other, or anybody else, about the abuse.
It was in 2011 when the youngest victim told her boyfriend what had happened to her that the allegations were made against her older brother.
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During the trial Legal Aid solicitor James Oxley argued the women had concocted a story because their brother was the odd one out in the family.
But not all of the jury was convinced and it was the argument of Crown prosecutor Peter Sherriff that was ultimately favoured.
Mr Sherriff insisted the women were making a genuine attempt at finally telling the truth.
It was the third day of the trial and the jury were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
But the majority of the panel decided the man had maintained a sexual relationship with each sister and he was found guilty of all charges against him.
Supreme Court Justice Robert Pearce thanked the jury for their contribution, describing the trial as a “particularly difficult” case.
Justice Pearce then turned to the defendant.
“In light of the verdict, a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable,” he said.
The matter was adjourned and the man was remanded in custody until his sentencing on Thursday, October 5.