A Harford County man was found guilty of rape, child sex abuse and other charges relating to the 2022 sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl who is related to him.

A jury found Steven Charles Katsikides guilty of one count sex abuse of a minor, one count of second-degree rape, three counts of third-degree sex offense and one count of false imprisonment after a five-day jury trial ended in Harford County Circuit Court Friday.

Evidence presented at the trial indicated that in September 2022, Katsikides lured the victim into his bedroom then locked the bedroom door and forced the victim to watch pornography with him before sexually assaulting her. After the incident, Katsikides urged the victim not to talk about what he had done, according to a news release from the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Text messages between Katsikides and the victim disclosed by the Harford County Child Advocacy Center during the trial also showed Katsikides bribing the victim with gifts to ensure her silence. The victim reported Katsikides’ actions to police six months later.

Katsikides will be held in the Harford County Detention Center until a sentencing hearing May 9.

“I commend this child’s courage and bravery to confront her abuser in open court and help us ensure that he will never again victimize another child,” Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said in the news release.

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