Child sex trial...Victim testifies to constant sex with stepfather

Child sex trial…Victim testifies to constant sex with stepfather

Nov 10, 2011 News

The trial of Cecil Romeo, of Parika Back Dam, East Bank Essequibo, who has been indicted for having carnal knowledge of his 13-year old stepdaughter, began yesterday before Justice Winston Patterson.
Romeo is unrepresented by counsel and has pleaded not guilty to the offence, allegedly committed in August 2007.
Prosecutors Teshaana James-Lake and Diane Kaulessar are representing the State.
Yesterday as the matter continued the victim and her mother were called to give their evidence.
The young girl yesterday told the court that she was born on September 15, 1993 and had known the defendant all of her life.
According to her it was on August 12, 2007, she was home alone with a younger sibling when Romeo came home and raped her.
She gave the court a detailed account about everything that the defendant allegedly did to her. The court was told that during the month of October 2007, the defendant repeated the act some four times before someone finally found out.
The teen stated that she didn’t tell anyone anything because the defendant had threatened to kill her.
“Since he is in prison he has threatened to kill her and the social worker who investigated the matter” the witness told the court.
The court further heard how on one occasion, the defendant molested the child while her mother was lying drunk on a mattress next to them.
The family lived in a small one bedroom apartment. They would usually use two mattresses to sleep on.
At this point the judge asked Romeo if he wanted to say anything. The defendant replied “No…but I’m innocent”.
The judge then directed a question to the victim. She was asked if her stepfather treated her well.
According to the girl he never treated her well since she had to go out and “beg” to maintain him.
The mother who also testified yesterday said that she awoke one night and saw Romeo next to her daughter and asked why he was there.
According to the woman, the defendant said that he had fallen asleep there. The mother eventually questioned the young girl and she disclosed everything.
The mother then went to the Welfare Department to report the incident.
“I went there because he can’t want both of us…” the mother said. After both testimonies the prosecution closed its case.
At this point the judge called on Romeo to lead his defence, he had three options– say nothing, give an unsworn statement from the docks or go into the witness box, where he could be cross examined.
According to Romeo, “He is innocent of the story; I don’t know nothing. They victimizing me”.
The prosecution declined its right to address the court. The judge is expected to “sum up” and the jury would deliberate afterwards.
On Tuesday Senior Probation and Social Services Officer for Child Protection, Conchetta Gray, testified that she had visited to assess their home environment when the girl told her something.
The witness said that because of what was reported to her, she accompanied the teen to Parika Police Station, where the girl gave a similar statement, stating that her stepfather Romeo would have sex with her whenever her mother was drunk.
The probation officer said she went with the girl and the police to the Regional Hospital where the teenager was examined by a doctor, who issued a medical certificate certifying “active sex” on the part of the girl, who was, subsequently, taken into protective care.
At that stage Justice Patterson enquired from the probation officer what caused her to visit the girl’s mother’s home and the witness replied that the mother and the daughter were found begging on the street.
As a result, the Child Protection Agency visited to see their environment and what assistance could be offered to them.
The witness told the judge that on the day when she visited, the mother was present looking after her six children, including the victim.

4 thoughts on “Child sex trial…Victim testifies to constant sex with stepfather”

Rev Monita Dukhia November 10, 2011 at 1:36 am

This is truly heinous! What a brute of a man, to assault such an innocent child! But why was the mother so drunk that she did not notice this? What sort of woman is this??? I can hardly process disgusting things like this, and I pray that this child receives counselling, removal and placed into a home where she can be cared for and nursed back to normalcy.
The brute should be jailed, whipped daily and made to endure hard labour…that should knock some sense into his block!
Jesus help us, people seems to be getting more depraved by the minute…
1P1N1D November 10, 2011 at 4:48 pm

Lock this prick up for the rest of his natural life!!!
Rachael Victoria November 10, 2011 at 5:32 pm

this is so disgusting
GTMAX1A November 10, 2011 at 5:42 pm

what a druken tale of neglect. he is such a sick sad bastard. seems like he would get the mom drunk to molest the child.