The High Court has upheld an 18-year prison sentence handed down to a man who sexually assaulted his wife’s eight year old sibling.

The prosecution charged the man with sexual abuse and sexually assaulting the child by showing her pornographic material on various occasions, as well as touching the minor with sexual intent.

After being convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison by a lower court, the man appealed against the verdict.

In his High Court filing, the man claimed the allegations were fabricated by the child. However, no evidence was presented to support this claim.

He also argued that the allegation had been made by the child’s sister out of anger towards him, adding that the child is someone who "writes stories".

The High Court ruled that these claims were inadmissible due to a lack of evidence. The lower court had also previously held that the defendant’s allegations were groundless.

The man further argued that the child’s testimony had been taken illegally. However, the judgment noted that the defendant had not objected to the testimony being taken during the trial. The court ruled that the point could not, therefore, be accepted or decided at the high court stage.