A taxi operator whom the police charged for allegedly raping a 17-year-old schoolgirl three times in a single night for about five minutes each time, and then dunked her head in a bucket of water to drown her, in March 2020, was set free when a seven-member jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict. When the 17- year-old heard the verdict, she broke down. Perhaps, in a sigh of relief.
The jury freed the 43-year-old taxi driver of all charges the witness accused him of committing in March 2020, including rape, attempted murder, and assault.
After the verdict, a relative of the young woman spoke to the Gleaner and said the following:
“The girl is really broken and disappointed by both the ordeal and outcome of the case and this can affect her life and her studies,” an elderly relative said.
“She was an emotional wreck giving evidence and there were times she had to come out of the courtroom to get a break to compose herself to continue her evidence. Now, she is asking where is the justice after they let him go?”
Attorney-at-law Hensley Williams, who represented the accused, explained his client’s defense. He said the complainant and an older relative, his ex-love, lied and fabricated the evidence.
Also, he said the alleged crime scene was left unprotected, and the forensic evidence was insufficient for the charges against his client because the DNA found on exhibits was not exclusive to him.
After reading through all the evidence presented, any reasonable person would have arrived at the same verdict as the jury. It seems clear that the relative of the alleged victim fabricated the charges because she and the accused, who used to live in the house where the alleged rape occurred, had a bad breakup.
She influenced a child to lie about an innocent man and scarred him for life. No wonder the child broke down after hearing the not guilty-verdict. That poor man languished in jail for almost three years for something he did not do.
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