LAWYERS for both the defence and the prosecution addressed the mixed Demerara Assizes jury yesterday, in the  rape trial of Leon Doris called ‘Black Boy’. Defence counsel, Peter Hugh, as expected, urged the jurors to find that the story, told by the then 15-year-old virtual complainant, was unbelievable.
The schoolgirl had said she was dragged into a room of a Kitty, Georgetown house, where she was raped by the minibus conductor.
Hugh also told the jurors to disregard, as new, additional information presented by the prosecution, that the girl was now saying she had asked the accused for his cell phone number and he gave it to her.
He noted that, earlier, the accused had denied owning a cell phone and asked that he be given the benefit of the doubt.
State prosecutor, Dianne Kaulesar, who is associated with other state counsel, Ratina Singh, requested a verdict in  keeping with the oath taken by the jurors and the testimony led.

POOR JUDGEMENT
Kaulesar told the jury: “You will find, from the evidence, that this is a case where a young schoolgirl exercised poor judgement. She trusted someone and found herself in a situation where no girl wants to be in.”
“Have you ever trusted someone only to realise your mistake when it was too late?” she asked the jurors.
Kaulesar said the prosecution is alleging that, on Friday, November 13, 2009, the girl had known the accused conductor for six months, having travelled in his minibus from time to time.
“Therefore, it was not strange that she agreed, when he approached her on that day and requested her to follow him to a Kitty home to collect a receipt from his sister.
“On arrival at the house, the door was opened by an Indian man, said to be the boyfriend of the accused’s sister.
“The accused went inside of the building, then returned, held the victim by the wrist and pulled her inside a room and onto a bed, where he kissed her and later raped her,” the Prosecutor related.
Kaulesar encouraged the jury to return a reasonable verdict.
Justice Franklyn Holder said he would sum up the evidence to the jury on Monday.