Common Law wife insisted, “I was raped”
A 30-year old common law wife who claimed that she was raped by her husband, Victor Ramsabad, admitted in the high Court on Tuesday – “ after he raped me , I went downstairs and lay with him in a hammock”. According to her, “About an hour later after he fell asleep in the hammock,  I returned upstairs, where the rape was earlier committed, and I called the Grove Police Station by telephone and made a report.
The 30-year old teacher and University of Guyana student who mothered a baby boy for the accused before the relationship had ended, told Justice Roxanne George and the jury that the police had turned up to find the accused still lying in the hammock.
State Prosecutor, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, had assured the jury in her opening address that she would lead evidence to prove that the virtual complainant was in her home at Grove Housing Scheme,  on the night of February 13, 2005, when the accused, in a drunken stupor, invaded the home and broke down the door, with a  2 x 4 plank, before raping her on a double-bed where her infant son was asleep.
The victim, in her evidence in chief, stated that the man for whom she bore a son had attacked her home that night and was using filthy language.  From inside the house, she had recognized the accused by his voice before he broke and entered the building.
After gaining entry to the cottage, he picked up a four-inch knife from the kitchen which he showed to her before placing the knife on the sill above the door and directing her to the bed where she followed him.  There, he had sex with her without her consent, she declared.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr. Peter Hugh,  the victim was asked why it is that since the accused led the way to the bed, she did not take advantage of the opportunity to run away.
“I was confused at the time”,  the VC explained.
Counsel enquired why she did not scream to attract her parents who were in another room of the house.   She replied that her parents were helpless – since her mother had a stroke and her father was blind.
When asked why she did not shout to neighbours for help, the woman declared, “I was afraid.  When I told him to stop,  he pointed to the knife on the sill”.
Counsel retorted, “At that time he could not have reached the knife”
When the prosecution closed its case yesterday, the accused elected to begin his defence with a lengthy unsworn statement from the dock.
After tracing the relationship with the victim, whom he said referred to him as ‘Babes”, and regarded him as “My number one man” the accused  said that on the night in question, the victim had sent him to wash his ‘rummy’ mouth, before electing to have sex.
The accused went on to blame his child mother of having other men with him and declared a certain policeman was one of her lovers.
At the end of his statement, defence counsel Peter Hugh disclosed that that was the case for the defence.
Justice Roxanne George told the jury that on the resumption today, Mr. Hugh will address the jury and will be followed by Prosecutor Mrs. Girdharie-Mursalin, who will make her final address to the jury.
The judge will sum up the evidence to the jury on Monday, after which the case will be handed over to them ( the jury) for their consideration and verdict.