Foster dad wants molestation trial

The English software designer accused of molesting a 9-year-old boy he was in the process of adopting while possessing lewd photographs depicting children involved in bestiality will stand trial in February after declining to settle his case.

Tarquin Craig Thomas, 42, previously waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the evidence, opting to head straight to Superior Court. After passing on a disposition to the case, Thomas was ordered back to court Deb. 17 for jury trial.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Thomas sexually and physically abused an Oregon foster child he was adopting.

After the boy returned to Oregon, Thomas allegedly kept tabs on him through a global tracking device hidden in a framed print of them together and contacted the boy’s biological mother with hopes of retrieving the boy and returning to the United Kingdom, according to the prosecution. After his arrest, a woman cleaning his home found a computer disk allegedly containing images of three boys who had a mentoring relationship with Thomas and some of the images involved contact with an animal.

Thomas remains in custody on no-bail status.