A 15-year old victim of alleged rape by a 18-year old minibus conductor yesterday told a Demerara Assize jury,    “I know the accused, Leon Doris, called Blackboy, for about six months before the incident.” “We were casual friends and had a  friendship for about one month before  the incident on Friday, November 13th   2009”, the girl, who is now an  accounts clerk at a well-known  organization, told Judge Franklyn  Holder and a mixed jury yesterday.
But in answer to defence counsel,  Peter  Hugh, under cross-examination, the victim, who has since left  school, denied that her claim that she had known the accused for the length  of time was intended to prove  familiarity with the accused.
Counsel also suggested to the victim that in her first statement to the police when the matter was fresher in her mind, she had told the police that there was a friendship about one week before the incident and that now she had increased that time from one week to one month.
The young woman declared that she could not recall telling the police about one week, resulting in state prosecutor, Miss Dianne Kaulesar, producing the statement which proved that she had indeed told the police one week.
The victim admitted that that statement was made in the presence of the victim’s mother and was signed by her as being true and correct.
Testifying, the victim said that she was born on June 16th, 1994. In November 13, 2009 she was 15.
During that year she was a fifth form student at a city high school and took lessons at a Campbelville school.  At times she would use taxi and minibus services for transportation.
And that, she said was how she came to know the accused.
She recalled November 13, 2009, when she and her friends took a minibus and went to the Stabroek Market area. Prior to that day she knew the accused, Leon Doris. “He told me his name was ‘Blackboy’”. He used to drive the No. 45 and No. 40 route.
According to her, “I travel in Leon Doris’s bus approximately 15 times. I knew Doris about six months before the 13th of November, 2009. I would speak to him every other day and the conversation would last for about 5 to 10 minutes. Prior to November 13, the last time I saw him was on November 12, 2009.
“On the day in question he came to the Stabroek Market area and asked me to accompany him to his sister’s house at Kitty to collect a receipt. I agreed to accompany him, because it was a #40 minibus and he came off at the corner of Lamaha and David Street. We walked over to Lamaha Street and turn left into the first corner.
“He went to the bottom flat of a two storey house where a tall Indian man came and opened the door. Leon told me that the guy was his sister’s boyfriend.
“Leon left me outside and went inside of the building. Shortly afterwards he returned, grabbed me by the left wrist and pulled me into the house and into a bedroom. Leon then pushed me on to a bed to sit down and I told him that I was ready to go home.
“He then pushed me to lie down on the bed and he started to kiss me. I tried to push him off and told him that I wanted to go home. He then pressed my hands to the bed and said, ‘Just relax’. He then continued to kiss me and I kept trying to tell him to stop.
“At this stage, he raised up from me, took off his jersey. While he was taking off his jersey, I tried to climb out from under him and he quickly pulled me back to the bed. I then slapped him on his face and he asked me why I was resisting him.
He then raped her.
“My mother was at work and I called her by phone and reported what had happened, to her. We agreed to meet at the Brickdam Police Station where we reported the matter. I gave a statement to the police and was taken to the hospital for medical attention and a report.
“Later, at a confrontation with the police and myself and mother and the accused, when I told the accused what he had done, he denied any knowledge about the incident and said he doesn’t know me.”
The hearing is continuing.