A man was convicted of sexually assaulting his daughter and her friend loses his appeal against conviction.

The accused was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment as he sexually assaulted his daughter over a period of six years then went on to sexually assault her friend at a house party. 

It was argued on behalf of the appellant that the circumstances of both offences were not similar to allow a jury to use them to mutually corroborate one another. 

Evidence was given by the appellant’s daughter who explained that the abuse started when she was five years old when she woke up to find him performing oral sex on her. Since then the appellant had abused her multiple times between her being age six years old to 11 years old.

The second complainer had been to a house party where the accused attempted to kiss her in the bathroom and she went to the living room and he then tried to do things to her.

Lord Pentland concluded that there was no doubt that there were also dissimilarities between the circumstances in which the complainers were abused. When it came to weighing up the features they were willing to apply the doctrine of mutual corroboration therefore the appeal was refused.