A 79-year-old man who allegedly attempted to sex-ually a assault an 11-year-old child will stand trial in the Corporate Area Resident Mag-istrate's Court on Friday.

Senior citizen Alphanso Tennant, a vendor from a Cor-porate Area address, pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault with intent to rape when he appeared before Resident Magistrate Lorraine Smith.

Allegations say on January 13 at 7:30 a.m., the accused was at home when he called the complainant in his room. It is reported that when the com-plainant entered his home, the accused held her, took off her shorts and underwear and put her on the bed. He reportedly took out his penis and climbed on top of her. He however was unable to continue the act as two children reportedly saw him and called out for help.

The police were called and Tennant was arrested and charged.

When the matter came up for mention, Tennant dragged himself slowly out of the holding area into the docks. While the allegations were being read, the accused said "mi nuh do nutten". He told the court he did not have a lawyer but said he would get one by Friday. The accused also asked for bail but this was denied.

He was remanded until Friday when the trial will begin. In the meantime, the investigating officer was asked to collect a statement from the children who saw him.