By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded to prison yesterday after being accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter over a three-year period in Cat Island and New Providence.

Police allege the 40-year-old defendant, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the minor, had sexual intercourse with his underaged stepchild twice between January 1 and December 21, 2021, in Bain Town, Cat Island.

He is also accused of touching the girl inappropriately in New Providence between December 1 and December 31, 2022, and groping her private parts between August 1 and 31, 2023, on Cat Island.

The alleged victim was between 11 and 14 years old at the time of the incidents.

The man was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a dependent child and two counts of indecent assault before Magistrate Abigail Farrington. He was not required to enter a plea.

The case will proceed to the Supreme Court by voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). The accused must apply for bail in the higher court.

He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his VBI is served on January 20, 2026. Assistant Superintendent of Police K Bould was the prosecutor, while Mark Penn represented the defendant.