Ex-police constables Delon Chapman and Leon Ashby are now awaiting sentencing after they were found guilty yesterday of raping a woman who had gone to the Turkeyen Police Station to make a report on New Year’s Day, 2018.
A jury unanimously convicted both men of sexually penetrating the woman without her consent on January 1st, 2018.
Both appeared visibly shocked when the foreman announced the verdicts—with Ashby openly protesting his dissatisfaction with the panel’s findings—after they were told that they would be remanded to prison to await sentencing.
Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, has however, deferred sentencing to October 14th, to hear probation reports on the convicts and an impact statement from the victim. Meanwhile, a presentencing hearing has been set for October 13th.
The prosecution’s facts are that the woman had gone to the Turkeyen Station on the day in question and lodged a report with policeman “Keizer” about an individual who had thrown a squib at her son.
Before leaving the station, the woman asked to use the washroom and Keizer called Chapman who the court heard guided her to the upper flat of the building where the toilet was.
The woman told the court that after she was finished using the washroom, Chapman grabbed her by the neck and he and Ashby took her into a room, threw her on a bed and took turns raping her. She said she tried to scream but could not because she was restrained by the men.
The court had heard from the woman that after the approximately 30-minute ordeal, she ran into the station and screamed for “rape,” and told Keizer what had happened to her but he refused to take her report; and instead instructed Chapman and Ashby to “take [her] away” stating that she could “not make two reports at once.”
The woman would then go on to relate her refusal to go with the men who had moments before attacked and assaulted her; but that they nonetheless pulled her by her hand and pushed her into the back passenger seat of a vehicle while they sat in front.
From there she said they set out in search of the man who had thrown the squib at her son. The court heard from the woman that it was that very man to whom she complained of being raped by the two policemen.
She said that she then told her husband what had happened to her and he took her back to the Turkeyen Station where she said Keizer again refused to take her report.
The woman said it was not until she had stripped her clothing out of frustration, that her report of having been raped was eventually taken.
The state’s case was led by prosecutor Nafeeza Baig; while Chapman and Ashby were both represented by defence attorney Ravindra Mohabir.
The trial proceedings were held in-camera at the Sexual Offences Court of the High Court in Demerara.
