A FORMER Corporal attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was committed to face a judge and jury in the High Court by City Magistrate Judy Latchman for the offence of rape.

Winston Haynes, also known as ‘Carlos,’ is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in January 2017 at Army Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

He was represented by Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd during the Preliminary Inquiry (PI). Haynes remains on $600,000 bail and will go before a judge and jury at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes.

It is alleged that the young woman was taken to the GDF base in an army vehicle and then escorted to a room where she was assaulted. The Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended that only Haynes be charged, even though two other ranks were also accused.

After the allegations were first made against Haynes and two other soldiers, a Board of Inquiry was set up to determine the facts of the allegations and “whether the crime was committed.”

At the conclusion of the Inquiry, the three ranks were dismissed. According to the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry, the ranks were found to be not only in contravention of the Security Standing Orders but also a number of other Standing Operating Procedures of the Force.