Trial begins for Army specialist charged in Oak Brook sexual assaults of girl

A 15-year-old girl's voice shook Wednesday in DuPage County court as she detailed the feelings she had as a 7-year-old who was inappropriately touched and later sexually assaulted by a man she trusted.

"They taught us in school that only doctors, our parents and trusted adults should touch us," the girl testified. "I was confused. Alarm bells we're going off, but I pushed past it."

The emotional testimony came on the first day of the trial for Andrew Hui, a 40-year-old Army specialist accused of assaulting the girl multiple times between April 2011 and June 2013 while he lived in her home.

Hui, who enlisted in the Army shortly before leaving the home, is charged with 13 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault.

An investigation began after the girl alerted her father to the assaults in March 2015, authorities said.

The girl's father testified Wednesday that his daughter, while choking back tears, disclosed the assaults in a three-page handwritten note.

"She told me she was depressed and needed to talk to a priest," the father testified. "I was surprised to hear this from my usually cheerful kid."

He said his daughter became so distraught she was unable to talk, so he suggested she write down what was making her upset.

The next day, her father contacted Hui, who was stationed in South Korea.

"He answered the phone and told me 'happy birthday.' I told him, 'Just tell me it's not true,'" the father testified. "He said he was sorry. Some messed-up stuff happened and he was sorry."

An investigation began and the father ultimately consented to a court-authorized overhearing of a phone call he made to Hui on April 27, 2015, to again discuss the allegations.

Hui was returned to the U.S. and has been held on $750,000 bail since his May 2015 arrest.

In his opening arguments Wednesday, Hui, who is representing himself, blamed the girl for making up the allegations and said the court has prevented him from receiving a fair trial.

"She's basically lying about many things," Hui said.

The trial is expected to last through Friday.