Man freed of sex charges

The jury in the Port-of-Spain Sixth Criminal Court took the full three hours before returning its verdict. The jury was unanimous on two counts, but split 8-1 in favour of not guilty in relation to the indecency charge involving the cousin. Trial judge Justice Devan Rampersad accepted the majority verdict on that count. Prosecutor in the matter was Aden Stroud.

The accused of East Dry River, Port-of-Spain, was alleged to have sexually interfered with the two girls and also their two cousins on Carnival Saturday night, February 9, 2002.

The four girls, aged between 13 and 15, were returning from Kiddies Carnival at the Queen’s Park Savannah, when they decided to take a shortcut through Basilon Street, near the community centre, to Duke Street in Port-of-Spain, where one of the girls’ mother lives.

It was through this shortcut that the man allegedly encountered the girls and, with threats of violence to them and their families, ordered them to an abandoned house. One by one he indecently assaulted them, and then raped one of them.

The accused did not testify and called no witnesses, but his attorney Larry Williams suggested that the girl had agreed to have sex with the man in exchange for a new pair of sneakers. The man had asked the girl if she had a "best shoes" and that if she had sex with him he would get her one.

After having sex, the man is alleged to have told the girl that if she could have sex with him for a pair of sneakers, then it "eh worth it." It was also suggested that because he did not buy the pair of sneakers for the girl, she accused him of rape. She and her cousins had reported the incident to the police the same night.

The man was charged by WPC Elizabeth Boland.