The conclusion of a paper committal at the Charity Magistrate’s Court yesterday saw an Essequibo man committed to stand trial in the High Court for the rape of a child under the age of 16.
Kishore Narine called ‘Black Boy’, who appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Charity Magistrates Court, allegedly engaged in sexual penetration of a 13-year-old between January 26, 2012 and February 6, 2012, at Riverstown Backdam.
The accused had appeared before Magistrate Scarce at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court on June 6, 2013 and was granted bail in the sum of $300,000.
Prosecutor Krishnadatt Ramana tendered the paper statements and the accused was represented by Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, who had unsuccessfully made no-case submissions.
The bail that was granted to the accused in 2013 was transferred pending trial of the matter at the High Court.
Under the Criminal Law Procedure (Amendment) Act No 17 of 2008, witnesses’ statements and documentary evidence can be tendered in court without the witnesses being present.
They are inventoried and marked as exhibits. It is on the basis of these written records that the magistrate forms an opinion on whether a prima facie case has been made out to put the accused on trial. This is what is known as a paper committal.
