'Too scared to say stop,' says child testifying in day-home sex assault trial

A Calgary girl says she felt "trapped" and scared when "Papa Ken"put his hand down her shirt at her former day home, operated by the man's wife.

Kenneth Jenkinson, 71, faces six charges involving three victims. A publication ban is in place to protect the alleged victims, who are all children.

Jenkinson's trial on three sets of charges of sexual assault and sexual interference got underway Monday before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Michele Hollins.

• Calgary man charged with sexual assault against 3 kids at Midnapore day home

The first of three complainants testified Monday as one of prosecutor Shane Parker's first witnesses.

The now 11-year-old girl watched a video of her interview with Const. Derek Campbell from a remote witness room. She called her day-home operator "Nana Pat" and the husband was called "Papa Ken."

Using a remote witness facility is a procedure in place to protect the children so they don't have to be in the same room as their alleged abusers. Calgary police trauma dog Hawk is sitting with the girl throughout her evidence.

'Too scared to say stop'

The interview was done in May 2016 when the girl was nine years old. Months earlier she'd told her parents she did not want to return to the southeast Calgary day home.

The girl told the officer that "Papa Ken" had put his hand down her shirt several times. During the final incident, the child said Jenkinson told her to come to the basement of his home so he could show her something.

She says he hugged her twice, sat down on the stairs and put her on his knee.

"He kind of trapped me," she told the officer. She said Jenkinson began rubbing her chest area.

"He said 'does it feel good' and I didn't answer I was too scared to say stop."

Families go to police

The girl attended the day home for about eight years, from ages one to nine.

The child's mother testified Monday morning that after her daughter told her about the touching in November 2015, "she seemed very sad" and was worried she'd have to go back to the day home.

At first the family didn't want to go to police but by May2016, when they realized another girl might have been victimized, three families got together and reported the alleged incidents.

The mothers of all three children work together.

After thevideo was played, defence lawyer James Wymanasked questions of the child, suggesting the three girls, who were friends, talked to each other about the allegations before doing their interviews with investigators.

The police interview has not yet been admitted as evidence. Lawyers are arguing its admissibility.

The trial is set for seven days.

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