Religious leader condemns alleged rape of woman by brother-in-law as victim lives in fear

Jun 20, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – One week after she was allegedly forced into sexual acts by her husband’s brother, a traumatised 26-year-old woman now fears for her life — a fear that has only deepened since her alleged attacker walked free on bail.

Lookesh Daljit, 38, a cane harvester, allegedly entered the woman’s home at around 21:00h last Thursday, where he choked her and demanded sex as a birthday gift — all while her young daughter was present in the home. He was subsequently charged with rape.

When Daljit appeared before Magistrate Michelle Matthias at the Blairmont Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, he was not required to enter a plea. He was granted $250,000 court bail and ordered to maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from the victim at all times.

But for the woman, the magistrate’s order has done little to ease her terror. She told Kaieteur News that prior to his arrest, Daljit had threatened her — warning that if she spoke out about what had happened, she would face consequences. His release has not only deepened her psychological trauma but has disrupted her daily life. She is now unable to travel to work, as the route to her workplace passes near where the accused resides.

“Some have justice; some don’t”

The case has drawn sharp condemnation from a religious leader within the community, who did not mince words in calling out what he described as a deeply troubling pattern — both in the prevalence of sexual violence and in the unequal application of justice.

He noted that one need not be a legal scholar to recognise that rape cases are alarmingly common across Guyana, and lamented what he described as a glaring disparity between how the law treats the privileged versus the vulnerable.

“In society, some have justice and some don’t have justice. The ones who are less fortunate, they don’t have any,” he said.

His concerns were not abstract. He revealed that, to his knowledge, Daljit had committed a similar act against someone known to him — but that the case faded from public attention and was never pursued to a conclusion. That culture of silence and inaction, he warned, only emboldens perpetrators.

“And this guy did this not once, and he continue doing it. And my concern is it happened to one, to two, that it can happen to many more if we do not put a stop to what is going on here. We need people to stand up, especially for the single mothers. And the law needs to be a bit better than this,” he urged.

The religious leader called on authorities to apply the law with consistency and fairness, regardless of a person’s social or economic standing — and stressed that every member of society, rich or poor, deserves equal access to justice and protection.

He also raised the alarm about the added vulnerability of the victim, who is responsible for the care of a young child — a reality that places both mother and child in a precarious and potentially dangerous position while the accused remains free.

“The man is on the road; you never know what can happen. He can do anything to them. I feel that there is no transparency in the law when it comes to this case,” he said.

Daljit is scheduled to return to court on June 29, 2026.

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brother-in-law, rape, Religious leader c, Sexually assault

One thought on “Religious leader condemns alleged rape of woman by brother-in-law as victim lives in fear”

habeeb June 20, 2026 at 2:03 pm

If this account by the Religious leader is correct, then there is a dangerous
rapist set loose by the courts, in the neighborhood, waiting to strike again,
as was promised to the latest victim.

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