‘Sex in car brings blight’

A taxi driver who was freed on a charge of rape yesterday, said it was a  “blight” to have sex in his car,  so he did it outside, standing against the vehicle.

The 26-year-old taxi driver of John Eli Road, Chase Village, walked out the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court a free man yesterday, after a jury of seven women and two men found him not guilty of rape and indecent assault after two hours of deliberation. The taxi driver was accused of raping the woman, a domestic worker of St Augustine, in a canefield off Chaguanas, on May 2, 2000.  She said he  locked his car doors and drove around for a while before taking her to a canefield to have sex.

The Court heard that he then demanded that if she did not come out of the car to have sex, he was going to kill her and leave her in the canefield. He explained that he did not want to “blight” the car by having sex inside.   However, the taxi driver, who was represented by attorneys Israel Khan SC, Ulric Skerritt and Dawn Mohan, admitted having sex with the woman, but said it was not rape. He explained to Justice Alice Yorke Soo-Hon, that he picked up the woman at St Mary’s Junction, Freeport, and agreed to take her to St Augustine for a fee of $20.00.

He said, the woman explained that she went to meet a man who had promised to marry her, but instead the man “set her up.” The taxi driver said  that while driving, “the woman was coming on to me.”  When he reached a traffic light, he said,  the woman leaned over and kissed him. He said he drove to a canefield and when he asked her if she was ready to have sex, she said yes.

The Court heard that the woman came out the car and they had sex leaning against the side of the car. The driver made it clear to the Court that if he had sex in the car it would have ‘jinxed’ the vehicle. He said after having sex they made a date to meet the next evening at six o’clock. However,  the next morning he was greeted at his home by the police who later charged him with rape. Representing the State was prosecutor Debbie Ann Bassaw.