SIXTY-YEAR-OLD Compton Bourne was indeed lucky when he was freed by a Demerara Assizes jury on Wednesday after being accused of raping a girl under 16 years in 2010.Legal pundits who followed the case saw the unanimous not guilty verdict as a surprise and were not amazed when the trial judge, Madam Justice Roxanne George told the freed man, “You are free to go – I think you are very lucky.”
Bourne, who had pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping his 15-year-old goddaughter on the 22nd of August, 2010, was unrepresented by counsel and conducted his own defence.
State lawyers Diana Kaulesar and Shawnette Austin, who prosecuted, led evidence to show that after the alleged offence, the girl had tearfully reported the matter to her mother who called in the police.
The girl was taken to a doctor but the medical report was not available to the jury since the nurse who had taken her for the medical attention was too ill to attend court.
The accused was 55 years old when the offence of raping a girl under the age of 16 years was allegedly committed. The girl was 15-years-old at the time. (George Barclay)