An Annapolis Valley man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl he knew 20 years ago.

Judge Catherine Benton found Kenneth Kothlow, 67, of New Minas, N.S., guilty of the single count Tuesday afternoon in Bridgewater provincial court.

The assaults occurred between March 2006 and December 2007 when both Kothlow and the girl were in the Liverpool area on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. 

The complainant, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, did not go to police until April 2024 and has said she felt some guilt about not coming forward sooner. But the judge noted that at the time of the offences, the girl confided in a teacher, who told the girl’s mother. The girl also told her then boyfriend that something had happened, but she didn’t elaborate.

Kothlow testified in his own defence. He asserted he couldn’t have molested the girl the way she claimed because of the size of his hands. He also said he wouldn’t have touched her in the manner she alleged because he has a phobia about germs.

But Benton said she did not accept Kothlow’s evidence and did not find it raised a reasonable doubt, which is the standard he would have had to meet to be found not guilty.

The judge described the complainant’s evidence as plausible and said it was clear she did not consent to what Kothlow did to her.

Kothlow has been a caseworker for the provincial government for 40 years, including a stint at the former Shelburne youth centre, the forerunner of the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville.

His lawyer has requested a pre-sentence report. The case returns to court in May to set a date for sentencing.

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