Winston Haynes, one of three former soldiers accused of raping a young woman at Camp Stephenson, Timehri, was yesterday charged with the crime and he was granted his release on $600,000 bail.
Haynes, also known as ‘Carlos,’ was arraigned before Magistrate Judy Latchman in Georgetown at an in-camera hearing to face the charge of raping the 21-year-old woman.
Haynes, who was represented by attorney Dexter Todd, was later granted bail by the magistrate. The case was adjourned until March 29th.
It is alleged that the young woman was taken to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) base in an army vehicle and then escorted to a room where she was assaulted. A police source had said that a medical examination found that the woman was sexually assaulted.
After the allegations were first made against Haynes and two other soldiers, a Board of Inquiry was set up to determine the facts of the allegations and “whether the crime was committed.”
The GDF yesterday said that the decision to dismiss the three ranks came in wake of the conclusion of the Board of Inquiry. “According to the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry, the Ranks were found to be not only in contravention of the Security Standing Orders but also a number of other Standing Operating Procedures of the Force,” the GDF said in a brief statement.