– in trial of man accused of security guard rape at Grove, EBD
RAPE accused, Akeem Alexander, called ‘Mad Man’, who allegedly violated a 46-year-old security guard on the night of November 15, 2009, yesterday pleaded innocent before Justice Franklyn Holder and a 12-member jury. The accused is conducting his own defence, while State Counsel, Miss Zamilla Ally and Miss Dianne Kaulesar are appearing for the prosecution.
The complainant told the court she was going home on the night in question when she was attacked on the lonely road at Grove, East Bank, Demerara by a man she had never seen before.
He was of mixed race, was brown-skinned, had curly hair, and was about five feet three inches tall.
The complainant told the judge and jury that after disembarking from a bus that night, she was on her way home when the man, who was walking closely behind her, moved to the front and suddenly turned back.
He then held her up with a knife, demanding money and sex. All the money she had on her person at the time was $1,100. He took that money away, and dragged her to the nearby parapet, where he stripped her of her tights and stockings, pulled aside her underwear, and proceeded to rape her despite her cries.
According to her, “He held the knife to my throat while he was raping me. During this time I saw a car light, and a car that was travelling, apparently attracted by shoes on the road, stopped, and one of the men asked ‘Whose shoes is this?’
“The accused then jumped off of me and dashed away. I told the men who had come out of the car that this man had just raped me, (and) they went after him.
“They were able to catch up with him, and they brought him back to the scene. They asked me if he was the man that I said had just raped me and I said, ‘yes’.
“The accused denied and said that as a result of a problem between my son and himself, that led to me making that allegation against him. I denied.
“I am a mother of 4, three girls and one son. My son was 11 at the time. The accused was taken to the police station, where I gave a statement. I was later seen by a doctor, who examined me in the presence of a female police.
“Despite what I said, the accused denied committing the crime. I had seen him clearly with the aid of lights. He is the man who raped and robbed me.”
Asked by the prosecutor how she felt during the ordeal, the woman said, “It was painful. I felt terrified, thinking what he would do next. I was thinking whether he would kill me.”
She told the judge, “I did not make any mistake in relation to him,” meaning the accused. “I had a clear view of him.”
Yesterday, Registered Medical Officer, Dr Mohan Persaud, who had examined the victim 12 hours after the alleged rape, testified that the victim was a multipara – a woman who has had several pregnancies. He said that his examination was done at 11.45 a.m. on November 16, 2009, while the alleged assault was said to have been committed at approximately 7:15 p.m. on November 15, 2009.
From his examination, he had found that there was no hymen, which he said was because the victim was a multipara.
He had observed a clear substance in the vaginal opening, and had advised the woman about the possibility of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. He had also advised that she should receive counselling.
In answer to prosecutor, Miss Dianne Kaulesar, Dr. Mohan disclosed that from his findings, he would not be able to say whether it was possible that the victim’s vagina had been penetrated by a penis within 24 hours prior to examination.
According to him, his examination did not reflect any abrasion or injury, and he was not privy to the result of any examination of the substance found in the vaginal opening, which was done by the Clinical Department of the Georgetown Hospital.
Senior Prosecuting Counsel, Miss Zamilla Ally declared that she would be calling her final witness on Monday next, following which the prosecution would close its case.