A Carroll County jury convicted Larry McCowan on single counts each of rape OCGA § 16-6-1, aggravated sodomy OCGA § 16-6-2, kidnapping with bodily injury OCGA § 16-5-40, and cruelty to children —first degree OCGA § 16-5-70 b and on three counts of child molestation OCGA § 16-6-4. The trial court denied McCowan’s motion for a new trial , and McCowan now appeals, arguing that 1 the trial court erred by allowing the State to elicit testimony to bolster the victim’s credibility and 2 his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance of counsel by eliciting and allowing the introduction of hearsay. Concluding that no improper bolstering occurred and that trial counsel’s assistance was effective, we affirm. Viewed in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict Drammeh v. State , 285 Ga. App. 545, 546 1 646 SE2d 742 2007, the evidence shows that on January 5, 2007, the five-year-old victim and her seven-year-old brother spent the night at the home of Frances Adams “Adams”, an acquaintance of the victim’s mother. Adams’ daughter, Dee Dee Adams “Dee Dee”, resided with Adams. Dee Dee went out in the evening and returned home with her boyfriend in the early morning hours of January 6, 2007. A few minutes later, McCowan knocked on Adams’ front door, awakening Adams. When Adams answered the door, McCowan asked her if he could spend the night at her house. Adams consented, gave him a cushion to sleep on in the front room, and went back to bed.
Thereafter, the victim, who had been sleeping in the same bed as Adams, got up and went into the room where her brother was sleeping to check on him. While she was in her brother’s room, McCowan came in, picked her up, and, covering her mouth with his hand, carried her outside to the backyard. The victim testified that she screamed and hit McCowan as he took off her clothes and pulled down his pants. According to the victim, McCowan put his “pee pee” in her “pee pee.” While laying on top of the victim, McCowan pushed against her, causing her head to knock repeatedly against the side of a shed. McCowan called the victim names, including “bitch,” and hit her on her head and face. McCowan also put his penis in the victim’s mouth and put his fingers in her vagina.
