The young women are part of a single family and are related to the 13 year-old who triggered a police investigation last week after she alleged that Sharma had assaulted her and her sisters over a period of time. Reports are that the women, in a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Human Services, alleged molestation at the hands of the broadcaster. The allegations were later made to police authorities.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that two of the young women are sisters of the 13-year-old and another is their 12-year-old cousin. One of the sisters, aged 21 years, has alleged that the local broadcaster fathered a child with her and she has also claimed knowledge of the abuse of her younger sisters. The other sister, an 18-year-old, and the 12-year-old also gave a detailed account of the alleged assault to the authorities and they made other claims against Sharma.
Previously, the two sisters had denied their younger sister’s allegations in sworn affidavits, and both said then that Sharma had never abused them. But their stories have changed and in addition, a 12-year-old cousin has come forward with similar allegations. The 13-year-old girl, who was in the custody of a relative under the supervision of the Child Protection and Childcare agency, was removed from the relative’s home and taken into custody by the agency.
Police are still seeking Primotie Danraj, the mother of the girls. The authorities gave the woman’s last known address as 43 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown, which is Sharma’s residence. The family had resided in an open space at Sharma’s residence, but since the allegations surfaced the woman and her two younger children no longer live there.
CN Sharma remains hospitalized at the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) under police guard. He had collapsed on Thursday last at the Brickdam Police Station, where he was being taken into custody over the allegation that he sexually abused the 13-year-old girl and her sisters.
Sharma’s attorney, Nigel Hughes said yesterday that he was not surprised the women’s stories had changed because “this happens when some people have been in police custody after a while.” Hughes said he was unaware of any such development in the case, but reiterated he was not surprised. He said the two women had denied Sharma ever molested them, but that they subsequently spent a considerable amount of time in police custody.
Hughes recalled that one of his associates, Ms Warren, had handled the women’s affidavits and had also accompanied the two women to the police station to lodge their sworn affidavits. He said the police expressed an immediate interest in the women and indicated they wanted to question both of them. According to Hughes, Ms Warren was barred from the process and was also not allowed to see the women for the remainder of that night (Thursday). “We have not seen or heard from either woman since that night and I am certainly not aware of anyone changing their story,” he added.
Hughes said the statements were taken from the women and were read to them to determine whether they wanted to amend anything. He noted that the women agreed the statements were true and correct, adding “no one was coerced into providing these statements.” He said too that the police have 72 hours to charge Sharma and that period ends later today. Hughes plans to move to the court tomorrow to secure Sharma’s release if the police fail to institute a charge by then.
Last week the 13-year-old girl, in a sworn affidavit, accused the well-known television personality of systematically sexually abusing her for several years. She has also said that he had abused her older sisters and two younger ones. But the mother has denied the allegations. The mother described her daughter’s allegations as “wicked statements” adding, “I deny every allegation contained in her statement, in a sworn affidavit of her own.
