A Duluth man has been convicted of sexually abusing a female relative when she was 4 years old, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said.
Shaun Travis Legare, 36, was convicted of aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and enticing a child for indecent purposes. A jury returned a guilty verdict on all three counts on April 27 after a five-day trial.
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The victim’s mother first reported the molestation to police in 2012 when she learned Legare had touched her daughter.
Legare had last been alone with the victim the day before, and had told the victim’s mother that he had a dream about molesting the girl a few weeks prior, according to a release from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
Legare told a detective about his dream, but said he had not molested her in real life, according to the release. The detective suspended the case due to a “lack of evidence.” Three days after the victim’s mother spoke to police, Legare told her that he was moving to Philadelphia.
In 2016, the victim’s mother called police a second time after her daughter again reported that Legare had molested her. He was living in Georgia again and wanted to spend time with the victim. The girl told her mother that she hated Legare and did not want to see him.
Legare forced the victim to watch pornography while he molested, her, and would slap her if she screamed, the DA’s office said. The abuse occurred at least seven times, and Legare threatened to hurt her if she told anyone, according to the release.
When Legare spoke to investigators again in 2016, he said the victim’s mother was “bitter” and angry with him. He initially denied everything, but then said that the victim may have accidentally seen him watching porn and he may have molested the victim while giving her a bath on two occasions in 2012.
Legare was sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison.
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