Gwinnett man convicted of molesting juvenile relative for 11 years

Jury box inside the courtroom where the Ross Harris murder trial will take place, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. (HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM)

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Credit: Hyosub Shin

Jury box inside the courtroom where the Ross Harris murder trial will take place, in the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. (HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM)

A Gwinnett County man has been convicted on molestation and incest charges for sexually abusing a juvenile female relative for more than 10 years, the district attorney’s office said.

Mongkhon Leekomon, 64, was convicted of aggravated child molestation, child molestation and incest on Nov. 17 after a four-day trial.

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Leekomon began abusing the girl at his DeKalb County home when she was “four to five years old,” the DA’s office said. Leekomon would babysit the girl when his wife and the girl’s mother went to run errands. Leekomon would molest the girl during these babysitting periods, telling her that they were “just playing games” and “not to tell Mommy,” the DA’s office said.

The abuse continued when Leekomon moved to Norcross about five years later. Leekomon began forcibly performing oral sex on the victim when she was 10 years old, the DA’s office said. In order to keep the victim from telling her parents, Leekomon told the victim that her parents would get divorced and another family member would lose her business if the victim spoke out.

The victim eventually told a college friend about the abuse in 2013 and told a therapist in 2014, the DA’s office said. After telling her mother in 2014, the victim’s mother reported the abuse to the police and the victim spoke to DeKalb County and Norcross police officers.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on all three counts after three hours of deliberation. Leekomon will be sentenced on Dec. 6. The maximum sentence possible is 60 years in prison.

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It is near the intersection of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Singleton Road.