(Antigua Sun) A Guyanese father was last week convicted in Antigua in the High Court of Justice for having sexual intercourse with his daughter, who was 13 at the time.
The man of Upper Fort Road was found guilty on five counts of rape and one count of serious indecency.
The jury, comprisaing six women and three men, took one hour to deliberate and return the guilty verdict.
While the man shook his head in disbelief, his teenaged daughter broke down in tears after the jury’s decision was announced.
The Guyanese man is alleged to have committed the sexual offences between 1 Oct., 2004 and 16 March, 2006. The acts started when the girl was 13 and ended when she was 16 years.
During the trial it was revealed that the teenaged girl notified a friend of what her father had been doing to her.
The encounters involved intercourse in addition to other forms of sexual acts.
During the last act the father is alleged to have ejaculated on the girl’s back, and she reportedly used a piece of toilet paper to wipe off the body fluid.
The police were notified of the incident that same day by the teenager’s friend and the young girl handed over the toilet tissue to them when they visited the house.
Bowman was reportedly not at home at the time.
The teen, now 18 years old, during her emotional testimony in which she openly cried in court said her father would force her to have sex with him.
“Have sex with me or I will beat you to a pulp,” the man reportedly threatened.
The man during his testimony said his daughter came home and told him that she was doing a School Based Assessment (SBA) on HIV and pregnancy, and added that the teacher told her she would need a sperm sample. The child was at that time still in primary school.
He said he went to the bathroom, masturbated and ejaculated in the tissue and gave it to her.
The man told the court that his daughter is lying, because she is upset that he disciplines her.
The Guyanese man said every time he disciplines his daughter she would tell him that he is “vex because he not getting sex from her.”
The man said he was never alone at home with his daughter, however, he admitted that when he masturbated, he and his daughter were the only ones at home.
The teenager was sent to live with her biological father, because her mother had to take an operation and could not take care of her.
The man will be sentenced on 13 Feb. The case was prosecuted by Joanne Walsh while the accused was represented by attorney John Fuller.
