A now-17-year old boy who was accused of raping a 6-year-old when he was 13 years old, was on Wednesday acquitted of the offence.
For legal reasons, the name of the former-accused has to be withheld from publication because he was a juvenile at the time of the alleged commission of the offence. Following hours of deliberations, the 12-member jury returned its unanimous verdict, finding the teen not guilty of the offence of rape of a child under 16 years. The particulars of the offence had stated that between January 1st and July 31st of 2017, the teen sexually penetrated the 6-year-old.
The now 10-year-old girl told the court that she had been asleep when he held her hands down on the bed and crawled on top of her and raped her.
The court had further heard that the accused held the child’s mouth and after he saw her mother approaching, told her to get dressed.
The court was told by the virtual complainant that even though she complained of being in pain, the accused “did it to her two times.”
Prosecutors said that the matter was reported to the Welfare Department in 2017 by the mother of the accused, who claimed that the virtual complainant had complained to her in 2016 that her (the VC’s) father was “troubling” her and another sister.
The in-camera trial was presided over by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Georgetown Sexual Offences Court.
The accused was represented by defence attorney Leslie Sobers.
The state’s case meanwhile, was led by Prosecutor Nafeeza Baig, in association with Sarah Martin.
