People v. Kerner

After a jury trial, the circuit court of Jasper County sentenced the defendant on April 10, 1987, to a term of seven years’ imprisonment for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in violation of section 12 — 16(cXl) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 38, par. 12— 16(c)(1)). The defendant appeals. We reverse the judgment and remand the cause for further proceedings.

The prosecution arose from allegations of sexual abuse made by three young girls, aged 6, 7, and 10. The defendant was accused of having fondled the vaginas of two young girls at Sam Parr State Park in Newton,…