A 16-year-old boy was, on Wednesday, freed of a rape charge by the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court, after the jury returned a not-guilty verdict.
The teen was on trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a six-year-old girl between January 1, 2017 and July 31, 2017, in the county of Demerara. The jury, after deliberating for almost two hours, found the teen not guilty of rape. The State’s case was presented by Prosecutors Nafeeza Baig and Sarah Martin. Madam Justice Barlow told the teen to consider it a second chance and that he must use the opportunity to avoid finding himself in similar situations and before the court.