Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Warren County (Moynihan, Jr., J.), rendered August 19, 1998, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of attempted sodomy in the first degree (two counts) and sodomy in the first degree (two counts).
Defendant’s conviction arises out of two incidents of sodomy and two incidents of attempted sodomy of the victim, a 10-year-old girl, at a residence shared by the victim, the victim’s grandmother and defendant, the victim’s step-grandfather, in the Town of Lake Luzerne, Warren County. As a result of his conviction, County Court sentenced defendant to consecutive terms of imprisonment of 7V2 to 15 years on each of the two
Defendant appeals, initially contending that his indictment, which alleges an attempted sodomy occurring in the spring of 1997 and an attempted sodomy and two acts of sodomy occurring in the summer of 1997, was not valid and should have been dismissed. Specifically, defendant contends that due to the large time span charged in the indictment it was impossible for him to raise a defense. Defendant also contends that the time period within which the indictment was filed was unreasonable and prejudicial. We disagree and confirm the conviction.
“One of the essential functions of an indictment in modern practice is to provide the defendant with sufficient information regarding the nature of the charge and the conduct which underlies the accusation to allow him or her to prepare or conduct a defense” (People v Morris,
We note first that the issue regarding the legal sufficiency of the indictment is not preserved for our review as defendant did not raise it in the stipulation in lieu of motions (see, People v Nailor, 268 AD2d 695). Were we to consider this issue, however, we would find defendant’s contentions to be without merit. Here, after each sexual act, defendant threatened the victim by asking, “Who are they going to believe?”, to which the victim replied, “You”. The victim was only 10 years old at the time and defendant was in a position of trust and authority. When the victim tried to tell her aunt and her grandmother about the abuse, both questioned her truthfulness. It was not until she was later in Colorado that she was able to tell her mother. The indictment was then brought against defendant in February 1998. In light of these circumstances, the comparatively short delay of six months in filing the indictment was reasonable and the indictment’s specification of the spring of 1997 or the summer of 1997 as the time period alleged in each of the counts was sufficiently adequate to satisfy the requirements of CPL 200.50 (6) and due process (see, People v Morris, supra; People v Keefer,
Defendant’s related contention that the proof at trial as to the time periods of the crimes was different than those stated
Defendant next contends that his conviction was not supported by legally sufficient evidence. The determination of the legal sufficiency of evidence is based on “ ‘whether there is any valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences which could lead a rational person to the conclusion reached by the jury * * * and as a matter of law satisfy the proof and burden requirements for every element of the crime charged’ ” (People v Stickles,
Defendant cites the victim’s inconsistent statements as to whether three or four incidents occurred, her aunt’s testimony that the victim had admitted lying about defendant’s conduct in order to have her grandmother all to herself, and her grandmother’s testimony that the bathroom where one of the incidents allegedly occurred was too small for the victim to lie on the floor as she described. Defendant also contends that the victim’s testimony should not be given too much weight because she expanded her story each time she told it prior to trial.
When reviewing whether the verdict was supported by
Here, the minor inconsistencies in the victim’s testimony, the victim’s temporary recanting of earlier allegations under familial pressure, and the apparent conflict with her grandmother’s description of the scene of the sexual assault were issues for the jury to consider and resolve. They do not rise to the level of the unexplained material contradictions and physical impossibility that supported the reversal in People v Lebron (supra, at 786-787) or otherwise render her testimony incredible as a matter of law (see, People v Thibodeau,
Lastly, defendant contends that the sentence is harsh and excessive because he is a law-abiding man who has raised a family, never committed a felony and now faces an aggregate period of imprisonment tantamount to a life sentence. We cannot agree. The two counts of sodomy and two counts of attempted sodomy pertain to separate and distinct acts (see, People v Willard,
Spain, J. P., Carpinello, Mugglin and Lahtinen, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
