AN elderly man exited the Demerara High Court a free man on Thursday after a 12-member jury found him not guilty on both counts of rape of a child under the age of 16 years.

The matter was called in the Sexual Offences Court before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow. The members of the jury deliberated for more than two hours and returned to the courtroom with the verdict.

The foreman told the court that on the first count of sexual activity with a child, a family member, they found the accused not guilty. The verdict was unanimous.

According to the indictment, between May 14 and15, 2017, Alfred Campbell allegedly engaged in sexual activity with the female child who was only 12 years old at the time.

On the second count of sexual penetration which stated that between June 1 and 30, 2017, the accused, Alfred Campbell, raped the female child– his step-daughter– while they were living in the same house at the time, in the county of Demerara.

The foreman announced a unanimous verdict of not guilty as well on this count, too, after which the judge told the accused he was free to go.

Alfred Campbell walked out of the Demerara High Court in smiles, surrounded by a few relatives.

The State was represented by Seeta Bishundial, Lisa Cave and Sarah Martin while the defence attorney was Maxwell McKay.