A Skeldon, Upper Corentyne yesterday walked out of the High Court in Berbice a free man after a jury found him not guilty on seven counts of rape.
Sahadeo Baichoo, who was represented by attorney at law, Tuanna Hardy, was on trial before Justice Navindra Singh. He had seven charges against him which read that between March 2013 and December 2019, he engaged in sexual penetration with the complainant.
However, after Justice Singh summed up the case yesterday, the 12-member jury deliberated for several hours and found the man not guilty.
The prosecution’s case alleged that Baichoo was known to the complainant’s family and would frequently visit their home, mostly on Sundays when members of the family were away at church and it was then that he would allegedly rape her while she was in his care.
However, Baichoo had continuously maintained his innocence stating that the complainant and her family had fabricated the story. In building his defence, it was noted that the man was out of the jurisdiction on one of the occasions when it is alleged that he had committed the act.
