Convicted child rapists

Oct 23, 2022 News

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By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News – Esan Germaine, Aduke Josiah, Collin Venture and Chandralall Lakhraj are the four men who were convicted this year for raping a child under the age of 16.

The law criminalises any sexual act with a child who is under the age of 16. The act of any person engaging in any sort of sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16 is called rape. Further, if a person causes a child to engage in sexual penetration with another person, it is also considered rape. For this offence, it is irrelevant whether or not the person who raped the child believed that the child was 16 years or older. The penalty for raping a child in Guyana is imprisonment for life.

Moreover, the law criminalises any form of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 – sexual activity with a minor excludes penetration. It is also a criminal act if a person causes or incites a child to engage in sexual activity with a child and if the person causes the child to perform a sexual act, example masturbation.

Again, it is irrelevant whether at the time of the activity, the accused believed the child was 16 years or over. If convicted on indictment, the penalty is imprisonment for ten years.

CHANDRALALL LAKHRAJ

Forty-year-old Chandralall Lakhraj called “Uncle Papi” of Berbice was last month sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

In August, a 12-member jury found Lakhraj guilty on two counts of rape. He had denied that between September 1 and October 9, 2019, he raped the girl and also that he also forced her to touch his penis.

Lakhraj faced trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds, at the Berbice High Court. Justice Reynolds had sentenced Lakhraj to 10 years imprisonment on each count and ordered that it run concurrently.

It was reported that Lakhraj had the girl “stroke” his penis and he also inserted his fingers into her vagina while she slept in a hammock. The girl had confided in her teacher about what happened and Lakhraj was later arrested.

COLLIN VENTURE

Forty-one-year-old Collin Venture, a security guard, formerly of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was in July 2022, sentenced to 16 years for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl.

During the trial, it was revealed that Venture had groomed the teen before raping her.

He had denied the three indictments which stated that between September and October 2020, he engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.

After deliberating for over two hours, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on each of the three counts. Venture was sentenced to 14, 15, and 16-years’ imprisonment on the first, second and third counts respectively – the three sentences will run concurrently.

According to reports, Venture was a daily visitor to the child’s home. It was stated that when Venture visited the child’s home,he would take her to a washroom at the side of the house and raped her there.

The matter was reported after the child’s relatives found conversations between her and Venture. It was then that the child related what had happened and a report was made to the police.

ADUKE JOSIAH

Thirty-six-year-old Aduke Josiah, of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was on May 24, 2022, sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl that was left in his care.

Josiah had pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on August 8, 2018, at Plum Park, Sophia, he engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.

Josiah faced trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Demerara High Court, who handed down his sentence.

According to reports, on the day in question, the teen was at home alone when Josiah forced his way into her room and had sexual intercourse with her. The young girl later told her parents what had transpired, and Josiah was arrested and subsequently charged.

ESAN GERMAINE

Earlier this year, convicted child rapist, Esan Germaine, 45, was found guilty on three other counts of raping a child.

On February 3, 2022, Germaine was found guilty of raping a minor by a mixed 12-member jury. He had faced trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court.

Before handing down her ruling, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry stated that she considered the physical and psychological harm the rapist caused to the victim, and she added that there is likelihood that he will commit the offence again since he was previously convicted for a similar offence.

As such, she sentenced Germaine to serve 20 years on the first count, 25 years on the second count, and 30 years on the third count. The sentences will run concurrently.

The rape convict had denied the three charges, which stated that between January 1, 2014, and July 24, 2014, in Georgetown, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.

According to court documents on the first occasion, Germaine approached the teen and asked her about school, grades, relationship status, and sexual orientation, and he also told her, “You know I love you”. The child responded, “I know”, and Germaine then hugged her, kissed her cheeks, and then began to kiss her neck. He then proceeded to undress and then raped her.

On the second occasion, Germaine first laid on top of her touching her private area. He then kissed her on her lips and raped the minor for about 10 minutes. On the third occasion, it was just after midnight on July 17, 2014, when Germaine first called out for the teen, but she did not respond since she knew what he wanted. She was still in bed when she felt a lash on her hand before Germaine dragged her out of bed and raped her again.

On July 23, 2014, while the child was on the road going to the shop, she saw her mother and told her what Germaine would do to her and they made a report. In an unsworn testimony, Germaine’s defence was that the victim was an unmannerly child who misbehaved.

Back in 2017, Germaine was sentenced to a total of 65 years in jail after a jury unanimously found him guilty of sexually abusing a young girl. He was convicted on all three counts of engaging in sexually activity with the child—when she was ages four, six and seven.

On the first and second counts, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall sentenced Germaine to 15- and 20-years imprisonment, respectively. For this, he is to serve 15 of those 20 years, before becoming eligible for parole. While on the third count, the rapist was given a 30-year sentence. Germaine must serve 20 of those years before he becomes eligible for parole.

However, all the sentences are to run concurrently and as such, Germaine will have to serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.

Sometime during 2010, 2012 and 2013, Germaine performed oral sex on the child, and in turn caused her to do same to him. He also rubbed his penis against the girl’s genitals.

The father of three, had called one witness in his defence for this case, and had denied the charges and professed his innocence in an unsworn testimony from the prisoner’s dock.

(To share any useful information, please can contact me via email:naesambach@gmail.com or phone number: + (592) 694-1862)

 

 

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