A POLICEMAN should be heading to court before the week is over to answer charges of rape committed on a female below the age of 16 years.
The advice from the Director of Public Prosecution comes on the heels of an article published in the Guyana Chronicle’s Tuesday edition captioned “A mother cries for justice.”
Yesterday in a statement from the Chambers of the Director of Public prosecution it was noted that the files pertaining to the matter of rape and abduction of the 14 year old were returned to the police with advice.
On the issue of rape the police were advised to charge the accused with rape while in the matter of abduction the police were advised to refer the teenager to the Child Care Protection Agency.
It was the Guyana Chronicle newspaper which first reported on this matter and has been in constant contact with the victim, her mother and the relevant agencies who were engaged in the matter.
Ironically, it was only yesterday that the mother of the child came to this publication in tears as she lamented the slothfulness in which the matter was being dealt with. Prior to that, she visited this publication’s office on numerous occasions seeking updates on the status of the investigation.
Earlier this week, when the mother of the child came to this newspaper we reported that she was crying out for justice, knocking on all doors to ensure justice for her 14-year-old daughter. Since the incident, the mother has been visiting the Police, Child Care and Protection Agency and even the Chambers of the Director of Public prosecution for updates on the matter. Each time the woman visited the Chronicle she broke down in tears. She would often say that while her child might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, the policeman who allegedly took advantage of her ought not to have done so since she went to him for protection when the incident took place.

The problems for the child and her mother began after the child went missing from home for a few days. She was later found and the police and the child care protection agency were immediately called.
The initial investigation involving the teen started with a case of investigating her abduction as she was reportedly being held against her will. But when the matter of the alleged rape committed by the policeman came up, there was no more mention of the investigations into the abduction, which was being conducted by the Timehri Police Station.

The teenager had proven to be a virgin before she went missing and that information is with the police as that test was conducted at the Brickdam Police Station.

It was also confirmed that the Brickdam Police clinic did another test on the child after she resurfaced after being missing and it was then that she was found to no longer have her virginity. In her statements to the police she reportedly cleared her abductor of rape, but did place him at the center of her disappearance, which amounts to abduction as she was being held against her will.

Days after the policeman, who reportedly raped the girl was picked up and placed under close arrest, his sister who serves as a doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital, reportedly approached the mother of the teenager to settle the matter.
Her approach was to have the teenager return to the police and contradict her initial statement and she instructed the mother of the child to tell the police that she lied about the whole story involving the police and that she was a child and made up the entire story against the cop.

That conversation was caught on tape and provided to this publication. The mother of the child was advised by the Child Care and Protection Agency to report that aspect of the unfolding to the police at the Brickdam police Station so that charges could be laid against the doctor. However it is unclear if the woman ever made a move in that direction and what is the status of that aspect of the ordeal.

By Leroy Smith