Ex-soldier Winston Haynes, who was charged with raping a young woman at base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, back in 2017, has been discharged of the offence after a no-case submission was upheld in his favour.
Haynes, also known as ‘Carlos,’ was facing trial before a jury at the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court for raping the 21-year-old woman who had reportedly been taken to the army base.
The charge against the former-accused stated that he sexually penetrated the young woman, without her consent, on January 27, 2017.
Following the close of the prosecution’s case, defence attorney Ravindra Mohabir yesterday morning made submissions that there was no case for his client to answer.
Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, who presided over the trial, upheld the submissions and directed the jury to formally return a verdict of not guilty in Haynes’ favour.
The State’s case had been led by Prosecutor Cecilia Corbin.
The trial proceedings were held in-camera.
It had been 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 she 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 back in March of 2017 had 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 had said in a brief statement.
