Essequibo man found guilty of attempted child rape

Dec 19, 2025 News

(Kaieteur News) – A 46-year-old man was found guilty last Friday of the attempted rape of a child under the age of 16, following a trial at the Demerara High Court.

Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh delivered the verdict and ordered that sentencing be deferred to January 21, 2026.

The accused, Ganesh Lewis of St. Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo, was originally charged with two offences; attempted rape and rape of a child under the age of 16 contrary to Section 10(3) of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 8:03, and in contravention of Section 36(a) of the Act.

The crime was allegedly committed in January 2022. However, Lewis pleaded not guilty to both charges when the trial commenced on December 12 before Justice Singh. The charges were initially read to him by Magistrate Zamina Seepaul-Ally.

In presenting its case, the prosecution told the court that the victim was under five years old at the time, while Lewis was 43. Prosecutors described Lewis as a close family friend who frequently visited and spent time with the child’s family. According to the prosecution, on the day of the incident Lewis took the child into a shed located near a relative’s barbershop.

A community resident testified that upon going to the barbershop and finding it closed, they noticed, “movement in the shed next to the barbershop and went and look and saw the accused with his pants down, along with the pants of the victim down, while standing behind the accused and playing with his penis and the victim’s butt,” the prosecutors stated.

The witness shouted at Lewis and asked what he was doing. Lewis heard the witness and left with the child.

The incident was later reported to the child’s family, who subsequently made a report to the police. Lewis was arrested on August 4, 2022, but denied the allegations.

During his defence, Lewis maintained his innocence, telling the court that he had been asleep when the child repeatedly knocked on the door of the room where he was resting. “He said the victim “come” and told (the victim) he was sleeping,” according to a summary of the proceedings.

He further claimed that he later heard a noise coming from the barbershop and went to investigate.

Lewis told the court that when he arrived, he saw the child standing on a stool and attempted to lift the child down for safety reasons. “He told (the victim) to get off the stool, because (the victim’s) family is not an easy task of people and they’ll say (the victim) came by him and knock (themself). He said he then held (the victim) by (the child’s) two sides to lift (the child) off the stool and same time the resident came and saw him and carried false information about him,” the document said.

However, the prosecution challenged this account, arguing that it would have been “impossible” for Lewis to hear any disturbance, given that the barbershop was closed at the time and was the only structure adjacent the area where the accused was found. Prosecutors further contended that Lewis’s residence was not close enough to the barbershop for him to have heard any noise, as he claimed.

After reviewing the evidence, Justice Singh found Lewis not guilty on the charge of rape but unanimously guilty on the alternative charge of attempted rape of a child under 16. The matter was adjourned to January 2026 for sentencing.

The state was represented by attorney Ronald Bostwick, while the prosecution team included State Counsel Simran Gajraj, State Counsel Christopher Belfield, and State Counsel Geneva Wills.

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Child rape, Demerara High Court, Essequibo, Ganesh Lewis, guilty, Ronald Bostwick

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Essequibo man found guilty of attempted child rape

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