Forty-three-year-old Mario Heywood who raped a nine-year-old girl back in 2018 and then threatened that he would kill her mother if she ever told anyone what he had done to her is now awaiting sentencing after a jury yesterday afternoon convicted him on all three counts of the offence with which he had been charged.
Following hours of deliberations, the panel returned a majority verdict, finding Heywood guilty as charged of raping the child on three separate occasions during the months of October and November 2018.
He had been charged with the offence of rape of a child under 16 years; particulars of which stated that he sexually penetrated the young girl between October 1st and November 20th of 2018.
The prosecution’s case was that Heywood frequented the home where the child lived.
Justice Sandil Kissoon who presided over the trial has deferred sentencing to November 22nd, to first hear from probation and other social impact reports.
The trial proceedings were held in-camera at the Sexual Offences Court of the High Court in Demerara.
The State was represented by prosecutors Cicelia Corbin, Caressa Henry and Marisa Edwards.
Meanwhile, Heywood was represented by defence attorney Damien Da Silva.
