Prosecutor Omeyana Hamilton, who began her closing address to the jury on Thursday, with the words “Let’s get ready to rumble”, had put forward
reasons to support a conviction.

But to her surprise, the jury returned with a unanimous verdict of not guilty yesterday.

Defence counsel, Mr. Hukumchand, had in his address to the jury identified inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case that he said would leave the jury in a state of reasonable doubt – which doubt must be resolved in favour of the accused.

Trial judge, Justice of Appeal Miss Claudette Singh, who in her summing up had referred to all the circumstances of the case, had also told the jury that if there was a reasonable doubt in favour of the accused, he would be entitled to the benefit of that doubt.

But following the not guilty verdict, the judge told the accused, “You have to thank your lucky stars that you have not been convicted.”

The judge advised him to walk the straight and narrow path in the future.

The prosecution alleged that on October 2, 2000, while the mother of the
girl, who is also the reputed wife of the accused, was away from home, Douglas sexually assaulted the girl, who did not report the matter to the mother until the following day.

It was revealed from the evidence that no one saw the accused commiting the crime and that while the victim said the act was committed on October 2, October, 2000, three siblings of the accused said it had happened on October 5, 2000.

On the other hand, while one of the siblings had said that they had seen the girl topless in a bedroom with the accused, another said she had peeped through a crease in the building and saw the sister in the process of buttoning her bodice.

Saturday, August 19, 2006