Boyfriend guilty of raping girl, 9

In spite of a mother calling her nine-year-old daughter a liar in court, a nine-member jury yesterday disagreed with the mother and believed the daughter when she said she was raped by her mother’s lover six times during a seven-night period. The jury found the mother’s lover guilty of raping the girl and trial judge Justice Malcolm Holdip will pass sentence today. He was found guilty on a seven-count indictment — six counts of having sex with a female under 14 and one count of attempted rape. Presenting the State’s case were prosecutors Angelica Teelucksingh and Debbie-Ann Bassaw, while attorney Ryan Cameron served the defence.

The State’s case was that the girl’s parents were separated in 1998, while she was in primary school. On June 29, 1998, about two weeks before school vacation, the girl fell ill and spent the time with her mother recuperating. On that said night, while asleep, the 40-year-old man, a St James vendor, pounced on the child and began to perform oral sex on her. He also attempted to have sex with the girl that night, but was unsuccessful. The following night, June 30, at about 9 pm, he again entered the girl’s bedroom and this time raped her. He repeated his violation of the child every night for the next five nights at around the same time. Each time the ordeal lasted for about five minutes. The girl testified that she was afraid to tell her mother fearing that her mother would not believe her and beat her, but she confided in a cousin who took her to the police and then to the hospital, where she was medically examined.

Her hymen was ruptured and there were lacerations of the vagina. The girl’s mother testified in favour of the accused, suggesting to the court that her daughter was telling tales because during that particular period her daughter never spent a single night at her home. She also claimed that her lover was never home at 9 pm since he routinely plied his taxi every evening from 6 pm to 11 pm. The accused also denied the allegations, claiming he was plying his taxi for hire at the time of the incidents. Neither the mother nor the accused could have offered the court any reason why the girl would tell such a tale. The man had two previous convictions for possession of cocaine, one in 1999 and the other in 2000. He is the father of three children.