A Carapichaima man has been acquitted of rape and unlawful sexual intercourse with a female between the ages of 14 and 16 after the alleged victim indicated she no longer wished to pursue the case.

The trial began on May 19, but when the alleged victim failed to attend court and the prosecution’s final witness – a crime scene officer – was unable to testify due to illness, prosecutors were forced to close their case.

Justice Gail Gonzales then directed the jury to return not-guilty verdicts on both counts on May 21.

The charges stemmed from an incident that allegedly occurred on April 1, 2016, in the Chase Village area. It was claimed that the accused approached the alleged victim at a location known as “the triangle,” threatened her, and led her past her mother’s and grandmother’s homes to a remote area near Limehead Road. There, it was alleged, he raped her in an abandoned shack by a river.

Upon his arrest, the accused told police he was at a bar with three friends at the time and denied knowing the alleged victim.

During the trial on May 20, the arresting officer was questioned by defence attorney Roshan Tota-Maharaj about the absence of witness statements from individuals the alleged victim said the accused encountered along the way to the shack. The officer was also questioned about his failure to investigate the accused’s alibi.

The accused has not been immediately released from prison as he has another pending criminal charge.

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