POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) – An upstate man was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting a girl for four years starting when she was 10, an ordeal the girl was only able to describe while testifying with a companion dog at her side. The jury deliberated seven hours on Wednesday and Thursday before finding Victor Tohom, 36, guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child and child endangerment.
The now 15-year-old victim testified Monday that Mr. Tohom repeatedly raped her. While she spoke, she petted the 11-year-old golden retriever, Rose, who was trained to comfort troubled or distressed children. The judge allowed the dog on the stand, a first in New York, because the girl suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and was unlikely to be able to testify otherwise. While the girl testified for more than an hour, Rose, the dog, could hardly be seen. When the girl was asked to point out Mr. Tohom, the dog poked her muzzle up and the girl stroked it. When she was asked to go into graphic detail about the rapes, she looked down and patted the dog.