Man accused of raping 12-y-o facing court
Published:Tuesday | June 16, 2020 | 12:00 AM
Adrian Frater/News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
A 30-YEAR-OLD man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl twice last year and threatened to kill her family if she reported the offence will appear in the Lucea Parish Court this week to answer to two counts of rape.
The accused, a farmer of Burnt Ground, Hanover, was arrested after the child revealed details of the allegation during a dispute between the accused and her mother.
The man was charged with the offence on Sunday, June 14.
The Gleaner has not published his name because he was believed to be in a relationship with the mother, which might undermine the privacy of the minor.
“I believe the files are ready on our part for the case to proceed,” a senior police officer told The Gleaner yesterday.
Reports are at an unspecified time in 2019, the child and her mother visited the accused's house. Later, he awakened the child and allegedly told her he wanted to take her virginity. She was sexually molested while her mother slept nearby.
He reportedly repeated the act on another visit.
Following the second incident, the farmer reportedly threatened to kill members of the child's family if she did not remain silent.
The child outed the accused during a domestic dispute between him and her mother.
In recent times, Hanover has fallen on the radar for several sexual assault cases involving children.
Last December, a pastor was arrested and charged on seven counts of rape involving children from a community where he had established a church.
And earlier this month, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was the victim of a brutal sexual assault, which resulted in her being hospitalised for four days.
That matter is being investigated by the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA). It is unclear whether the accused man in that case has been arrested.