Vreed-en-Hoop carnal knowledge accused to know fate today

JUSTICE Brassington Reynolds, the presiding judge in the Vreed-en-Hoop carnal knowledge case where 34-year-old accused Patrick Narine is alleged to have sexually assaulted his then 7-year-old step-daughter while the mother was in hospital in May, 2003, will know his fate today.

According to the judge, because the case has turned out to be more intricate than it appeared to be initially, since the accused is unrepresented, he had to make sure there was compliance with the rules of evidence.

Speaking at the end of the session last week, the judge told the jury he would need some time to go through the evidence in order to ascertain whether a case to go to them has been made out and if so he would then conduct his summation before handing over the case to the jury for their consideration and verdict.

In the event that a case has not been made out, the judge said he would direct the jury accordingly.

The prosecution, led by Ms Zamilla Alli and included Ms Latchmie Rahamat and Ms Rhondel Weever, had submitted a case to show that the accused Patrick Narine, the step-father of the girl whose mother had to be taken to hospital following a fall, committed the offence one night in May 2003, while the mother was in hospital.

The mother who was not called by the prosecution at the Preliminary Inquiry, was called by the defence following the close of the prosecution’s case last week.

She told the judge and jury that on her return home from hospital she did not recall her daughter telling her anything about what the step-father is alleged to have done.

As a result of the evidence given by the mother, the prosecution produced a statement which the mother had given to the police when the matter was fresh in her memory and when she had given a different account to what she had told the jury.

The woman complained that the alleged statement which she had signed four times, was taken from her when she was in bed after taking her own discharge after surgery, and now could not remember what she had said.

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