East Canje man gets 12 years for raping 63-yr-old villager

May 09, 2009 News

Justice Diana Insanally jailed Ravidat Jagnit, called Ravi, a 23-year-old labourer of Betsy Ground, East Canje for 12 years on Wednesday after the jury found him guilty of rape.
He had raped a 62-year-old woman of Betsy ground, on December 6, 2003 at her home. Prosecutor Ganesh Hira told the court that a few days before the incident the woman’s stepson had arrived in the country from the USA. He said that the woman knew Jagnit and that they did not live far apart.
The prosecutor stated that on the day in question between 19:30hrs and 20:00 hrs the woman had just taken a bath and had returned upstairs, dressed in her panty and wrapped in a towel.

The woman said that she was about to enter the main bedroom of the house when the accused emerged from the small bedroom armed with a knife and accosted her. He told her to hand over the foreign currency she had collected the other day. The two of them started to argue and the situation changed. He told her to out the lamp and go in the bedroom. When she dallied he pushed her into the bedroom, bolted the door and proceeded to force her to have sex.

The victim struggled, but in vain. All this while he insisted that she should not scream as he threatened to cut her neck with the knife. During the episode he kept demanding that she hand over the foreign currency.
Because of the trauma the woman said that she remained on the bed until her daughter came the next day and found her naked. She was then taken to the Reliance Police Station where she made a report was made.
Jagnit was charged on March 25, 2004. He was committed by Magistrate Geeta Chandan- Edmond some three years after the incident, on December 6, 2006.

The jury took less than half an hour to come up with the unanimous verdict of guilty. In his plea of mitigation Attorney at Law Charandass Persaud asked the Judge for leniency for his client and denied the request for a probation report.
Before handing down her sentence the Judge told the convict that he had committed a heinous crime. Society cannot condone appalling acts, she said. She further told the man that the offence is prevalent in society and she must take into consideration the trauma that the victim had to endure.
The accused declined to say anything when asked if he so desired. The judge then sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
His mother and aunt who were in court broke down in tears and had to be helped out of the building.