Testimony begins in sex-abuse trial

Andrew Edwards

Jurors heard opening testimony Thursday in the case of a Corona del

Mar woman charged with molesting a girl.

Victoria Hawlish, 41, is charged with five counts of committing

lewd acts upon a child during the summer of 2003 when she lived in

Hawlish’s home. The alleged victim, who is now 15, testified Thursday

that during that time, Hawlish repeatedly watched her while she

undressed.

“She made me take off my clothes in front of her and watch me get

dressed,” the girl said.

The alleged victim also said she once smoked marijuana and

occasionally drank alcohol with the defendant.

The names of the victim and of her mother, who also testified

Thursday, are not being published to protect the girl’s identity.

In his opening statement, Hawlish’s attorney, Albert DeBlanc Jr.,

indicated his case would paint the charges as the fabrications of a

rebellious teenager.

“This wayward teen did what she would normally do -- cause

trouble,” DeBlanc said.

According to the girl’s mother, who testified in Spanish through

an interpreter, Hawlish became acquainted with the alleged victim’s

family when they were neighbors in Burbank. The mother now lives in

Culver City.

The mother stated that when the alleged victim was 11 years old,

her daughter visited Hawlish’s Corona del Mar home for the weekend.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jana Hoffman asked the mother if she saw any

changes to her daughter’s body after the visit.

“By accident, I went into [the alleged victim’s] bedroom and she

had shaved her genital parts,” the mother said. “I asked [my

daughter] what happened and she said, ‘Victoria did it.’”

The mother testified she called Hawlish about the incident and

they became angry with each other, but the phone call did not end the

family’s relationship with Hawlish.

The mother said her daughter was having academic and attendance

problems at school during the 2002-03 school year. The mother

accepted what she called “help” from Hawlish, who agreed to let the

alleged victim stay at her house for a week that stretched into a

four-month period.

The stay ended in October, the mother said, when her daughter, who

had enrolled at Corona del Mar High School, called her and said

Hawlish had touched her all over her body. About one month later, the

mother said she took her daughter to a counselor. That visit led to a

criminal investigation that culminated with Hawlish’s arrest in April

2004.

The trial is set to resume Monday. The alleged victim is scheduled

to continue her testimony.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.