City man suspected of molesting relative, 7

LYNN – A judge ordered $1,500 cash bail and that a city man stay away and have no contact with a 7-year-old relative who said the defendant molested him during a sleepover.But the defense attorney said the child’s parents were telling the alleged victim to lie because they were angry the child preferred the defendant to his own family.Brian G. William (court documents also spell his last name Williams), 59, of 115 O’Callaghan Way, turned himself in on a warrant for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14; at 9:29 a.m. Tuesday. He was arraigned on the charge Tuesday afternoon in Lynn District Court where a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.Local police began investigating the allegation after watching a video interview with the alleged victim and sexual assault investigators, according to a report by Lynn Police Officer Roger Tinkham.Police said the alleged victim stated in the interview that he was sleeping over William’s home and William “tickled (him) in the wrong spot,” while the two were lying on a mat and watching an Alvin and The Chipmunks movie. The child used a drawing to identify that spot as his penis and said the defendant touched him over his soccer pajamas, according to police.The child allegedly moved away from the defendant after the incident, while the defendant stayed on the mat. The alleged victim also said he previously came to the city to sleep over at William’s house and the two would typically sleep on the mat or on the couch, police reported.Essex Assistant District Attorney Nicole Starrett requested William be held on $10,000 cash bail and that he stay away and have no contact with the alleged victim and his family. She said William had defaulted on less serious cases.Defense attorney Thomas O’Donnell said his client absolutely denied the allegation and that the child’s parents were “trying to drive a wedge between the families” with the allegation. (He also said the previous cases were all motor vehicle violations, according to court records.)O’Donnell told the court the alleged victim looks to William as a father figure, which angers the child’s parents. The child and his family also have a long history with the Department of Children and Families, O’Donnell said.O’Donnell requested a small cash bail and said his client would agree to stay away from the alleged victim and his family as he had been doing for the past several months.Judge Cathleen Campbell ordered William held on $1,500 cash bail and to stay away and have no contact with the alleged victim and his family.William is scheduled to return to court May 2.