Arrest warrant issued for sex, cybercrime offender who skipped verdict date
AN ARREST WARRANT had to be issued for a man who did not appear in court when five guilty verdicts were returned for sexual and cybercrime offences against him.
The man, who failed to appear at the High Court before Justice Brian Cottle on July 16, 2024, was found guilty of five offences. He was charged that on November 11, 2021, he raped a 14-year-old girl, and committed unlawful sexual intercourse with her, she being a girl under the age of 15.
The man also was charged that on November 18, 2021, at Kingstown he committed indecent assault against a girl under the age of 15.
In relation to the cybercrime offences, the prisoner was charged that between November 11 and December 30, 2021, in St Vincent and the Grenadines he committed cyberbullying, and harassment by means of electronic communication.
In his electronic interview, the prisoner told the police that he knew the virtual complainant for about two years.
On the date in question, he said he met the girl on the streets, where she told him that her school uniform needed ironing. They both headed to his home to get the ironing done. The prisoner told the police that the girl went on the bed and asked him what happened, after which he touched her inappropriately by “playing” with her breasts for a couple seconds.
He said he did not have sexual intercourse that day, and that a few days later, he met the girl again. He said that she asked him for $200.
He said they kissed and did “foreplay.”When one of the police officers who conducted the interview with the prisoner told him that he did not believe his story, the prisoner responded, “… let me come clean…”, and said that if he did have sexual intercourse with the girl on the date in question, it would not have lasted three minutes, as they were not on the bed for more than five minutes.
The prisoner said he had taken his private member out of his pants, and responded, “yes I did”, when the officer asked him if he had placed it in the child’s private part.
However, he maintained that he did not have sexual intercourse with the child. Asked again if there was insertion, the man responded, “Yes I think so,” but it did not last longer than one minute.
During the trial, the prisoner said he had lied to the police when he told them that he had sex with the girl.
He said that he was quarantined in mid-November. However, Justice Cottle noted that despite being quarantined during that period, he was still able to meet the child on November 11 and 18.
There were text and voice messages between the child and the prisoner where the man was threatening to share a video of him having sexual intercourse with her.
However, the man said that he did not have his phone during this period; that his baby’s mother had his phone for two months, and she was the one who was communicating with the child using his phone.
The prisoner said that the messages were altered and that his voice was spliced and manufactured into the messages to say that he would share the sexual video.
However, the virtual complainant testified that on November 11, 2021, the prisoner saw her on the streets in her school uniform, and told her that her uniform needed ironing.
The child had no electricity at home so she went to the man’s house.While ironing her clothes, the man pushed her onto his bed, undressed her had sex with her.
She said it lasted for one hour, and it was painful. She said as well that the man threatened to post a video of them having sex on her school’s website.
On November 18, she said that the prisoner pulled her behind a building, then felt and kissed her. The child did not tell anyone, because the prisoner had promised to give her a phone and some money.
She received no phone and no money. She reported the second incident to her mother, who later reported it to the police.
When the Crown closed its case, the prisoner said that he would be calling seven witnesses.
However, no witness, nor even the accused himself showed up to court. In his absence, a nine-member jury found him guilty on all charges after deliberating for one hour and 55 minutes.
A warrant was therefore issued for the prisoner’s arrest. A summons was issued for his surety. His bail has been forfeited, and he will be sentenced today, July 26, 2024.
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