A former Tasmanian childcare worker developed a relationship with a young girl by spending more time with her and paying her special attention before he allegedly sexually abused her, a jury has heard. 

WARNING: This story contains details of alleged child sexual abuse which may cause distress.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced the first day of a week-long trial in the Hobart Supreme Court on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child. 

It is alleged the abuse took place between July and October 2020. 

The court heard the four-year-old girl attended a childcare centre in the greater Hobart area, and there were times when she would be left alone with the man, who was one of her supervisors. 

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Avery told the jury: “It’s alleged the man was involved in sexual conduct with the girl and this took place in various forms.

The court heard the man kissed the girl on the lips, touched tongues in the form of an intimate kiss in the bathroom and requested she touch his genitals and touched and kissed hers.

Ms Avery alleged “there was one occasion” when the man assisted the girl in the toilet “despite her not needing any assistance with toileting”. 

She told the court the man photographed the girl in the toilet.

The court heard the girl disclosed the alleged abuse after several conversations with police and her parents, telling her father the childcare worker was allowed to see her “bits” and he always gave her an extra wipe when she’d gone to the toilet. 

The four-year-old gave video evidence which was played to the jury in court, where the victim can be heard telling a police officer “he kissed me three times” and “we touched tongues”. 

Ms Avery told the jury the man denied the sexual conduct took place. 

The trial continues. 

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