Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday ordered that a 45-year-old Friendship, East Coast Demerara, man be remanded to prison when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for allegedly attempting to rape a woman.
Leon Barlow pleaded not guilty to the summary charge of attempting to commit rape.
He denied that on July 7, he attempted to have carnal knowledge of a woman without her consent.
Barlow in his own defence stated that when he was arrested last Saturday he was informed that it was in relation to an alleged kidnapping and the attempted rape charge against him came as a surprise.
He said that after the Virtual Complainant (VC) gave her statement to the police he overheard the investigating officer stating that he was unsure of what to charge him with.
Barlow noted that he had been charged with allegedly kidnapping his daughter from her mother in 2007 but he was only granted bail several months ago since the preliminary inquiry into that matter has not begun after being transferred to Court Six.
However, Prosecutor Alexis David Hossanah stated that Barlow knew the VC for some time and that on the day in question he met her in a bus and told her that he had just returned to Guyana from Barbados and he was staying at a guest house in Houston.
She said that the Barlow invited the woman to the room to continue their conversation and the woman agreed. She noted that shortly after the defendant and the VC got to the guest house he pulled her into the bedroom and attempted to rape her.
After listening to both sides, the magistrate transferred the case to Court Two for July 26.
