Charges dropped against man over alleged rape of two-year-old girl at Tennant Creek
Updated
Northern Territory police have dropped charges against a man over the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl at Tennant Creek in February.
A 24-year-old man was charged in February, but police now say new information has led to the withdrawal of charges against him.
The new information led to the arrest of a 25-year-old man, who was charged with sexual intercourse without consent earlier this week and will face court again in July.
Detectives continue to investigate.
Earlier this month, NT Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne handed down an independent investigation into the incident, and found the girl was at a "foreseeable risk of harm" that could have been mitigated or managed.
The report said the two-year-old suffered "significant and painful" injuries and required a blood transfusion.
A medical examination also revealed the toddler had a sexually transmitted disease, but neither the mother nor the only known alleged perpetrator at the time had the STI.
The girl and her younger sibling have since been removed from the family's care by child protection authorities.
More to come.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, crime, tennant-creek-0860, nt, australia
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