Judge throws out rape charges

TWO CUNUPIA men, who were on trial for rape and robbery before Justice Prakash Moosai at the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court, were yesterday discharged when the judge threw out evidence on which the State heavily relied. The charges were dismissed when Moosai refused to admit the cautionary statements allegedly given by the men into evidence, because he (Moosai) had doubts as to whether the statements were given voluntarily. The men claimed police had beaten them into signing the statements.

The men, ages 19 and 20 at the time of the offences, had allegedly entered the home of a Cunupia couple at around 2.45 am on April 26 1999 with two other men, and robbed the occupants of over $13,000 worth of jewelry, electronic items and cash. The men then allegedly gang raped the 23-year-old woman. The four were arrested and charged with rape and robbery with aggravation on May 19 and 21 respectively by officers of the Cunupia Police Station. After the preliminary inquiry at the Magistrates’ Court, two were freed and the other two were committed to stand trial for the offences.