A 20-year-old farmer, who allegedly pulled an 11-year-old child off her bicycle before dragging her into the bushes and raping her, was moments ago charged for the offence.
Vladimir Lawrence of Yupukari Village, Rupununi, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between December 4, 2019 and December 6, 2019 at Yupukari Village, Rupununi, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.
The matter was heard in-camera and members of the public and the media were asked to leave the courtroom.
According to information, the victim and the defendant are known to each other since they live in the same neighborhood.
It was reported that during the period mentioned in the charge, the child was riding her bicycle going home from school when the defendant stopped her.
The defendant then asked her to have sex with him and she refused. It was then that he pulled her off her bicycle and dragged her in the bushes and allegedly raped her.
He subsequently placed her back on her bicycle and was taking her home. However, the child’s father saw the two on the bicycle and questioned his daughter who related to him what had transpired. The matter was then reported to the Lethem Police Station and the defendant was later arrested and charged for the offence.
The Prosecutor objected to bail being granted to the defendant, given the prevalence of the offence and the penalty the charge attracts.
Hence, he was remanded to prison until December 17, 2019, when he will appear in the Lethem Magistrate’s Courts.
