Rapist policeman jailed

After the sentence was passed, the victim wept in the court room. “I don’t think I would ever be able to heal. The judge has the last say, but I would never be healed,” the victim cried. The woman, now 33, said the police officer stole something from her that could never be replaced and left her wounded for life.

“The case took too long to start and I had to relive every moment of what happened, no amount of justice could heal me,” she said.

Ramlochan was found guilty by a nine-member jury on June 12. The court heard that on May 5, 2001, the girl and her mother went to report a domestic abuse matter at the police station.

The girl’s mother was taken inside the station by Ramlochan, who was then a 50-year-old sergeant.

Another police officer was assigned to take the mother’s report while the daughter remained in the veranda. Ramlochan returned to where the girl was and started asking her sex-related questions. He then asked her mother for permission to further question the daughter and she agreed.

The victim testified that Ramlochan led her to a dormitory where he began making sexual advances towards her. After a colleague walked in and then out of the dorm, he took her to the court prosecutor’s office, then to a store to change a $100 bill, to the police canteen and back to the office. There he committed the act on, “a piece of sponge”, the court heard.

The court also heard that the police officer pushed the teenager against a cabinet and a wall which also caused injuries to her mouth. After raping the teen, the senior police officer told her not to tell anyone. Ramlochan then returned the victim to her mother.

Later that day he took the girl’s father to a bar and warned him in relation to a report made against him.

Ramlochan was represented by defence attorneys Kevin Ratiram and Chris Ramlal while attorneys Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal and Sarah De Silva prosecuted. Ramlochan is a father of four. Before passing sentencing, Justice Alexis- Windsor said that Ramlochan acted in such a way that contributed to the loss of confidence in the Police Service.

She said the sentence imposed would serve as a deterrent for persons of like- minds. The judge further said that the mitigating factors considered in terms of the offender was the position of responsibility and trust the victim placed in the police officer. It was the victim’s first sexual encounter.