A 12-year-girl last Thursday gave birth to a baby boy, the son of her stepfather.
The baby was delivered by caesarian section at the Georgetown Public Hospital and both baby and mother are doing well. Commander of B Division, Derrick Josiah, during a telephone interview with this publication said that the perpetrator is in police custody and investigations are ongoing.
According to reports, the stepfather to the 12 year old had repeatedly raped the girl since the age of 10. She became pregnant in August of last year, one year after her menstrual cycle had begun.
News reports state that the man is from the North West District and moved into the home of the girl’s mother some two years now.
The girl related to the media that her stepfather, who is a cane cutter, would threaten her with a cutlass if she told anyone about the abuse.
It is understood that the child’s teachers at the primary school she attends observed that she was usually unwell and complained of nausea during morning assembly, and they referred the matter to the school’s Welfare Department.
The child was taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital for a medical examination in January last, and she was found to be five months pregnant.
When investigations began and after being questioned consistently, the girl told authorities that it was her stepfather who raped her on several occasions. The alleged perpetrator denied the allegations.
He was subsequently locked up at one of the police stations in Berbice and is said to still be in police custody.