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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife man appeared in territorial court Monday morning facing four charges, including a sexual interference charge against a 10-year-old girl.

During the pre-trial hearing Crown attorney Roger Sheppard presented details regarding the allegations to Judge Robert Gorin.

Sheppard said the young girl had already given an account of the allegations on video. In it, the girl described a scene which Sheppard repeated before the court.

Entrusted in the care of the accused while her mother was on a family trip, the young girl said she fell asleep in their shared hotel room between the hours of 11 p.m. and 12 p.m. on May 20. Sheppard reported that the girl woke around 1:45 a.m. to find the accused on top of her "touching her breasts, bum and private parts."

The girl said she then escaped into the bathroom, locking herself in, Sheppard added. When she finally came out she said, "the accused was on the bed watching TV," Sheppard noted.

Defence attorney Abdul Khan said the accused admitted "that he had one beer and one screwdriver - but he was not drunk."

The accused has neither denied nor admitted to the sexual offence involving the 10-year-old, but Khan reminded the court that "the accused is innocent until proven guilty."

While Gorin agreed that the man's presumed innocence must be remembered until a trial and verdict, he added that the accused was also facing charges relating to a previous sexual assault, breach of probation and failure to attend court.

The accused will appear in court again Aug. 26 to enter his plea.