Bajan man freed of charges of raping two UK women

(Barbados Nation) Double rape accused Derick Crawford is now a free man, but still a very angry man.

And he wants the justice system of Barbados to pay for malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.

Crawford walked out of the Holetown Magistrates’ Court just before noon yesterday with the burden of a probable 25-year sentence finally lifted off his back.

This was after Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock QC discontinued a case against him on charges of raping two British women just over two years ago.

Both women, researcher Dr Rachel Turner and Diane Davies had been contending for more than a year that it was not Crawford who had raped them in October 2010, and had even hired attorney at law Andrew Pilgrim for his defence.

Prosecutor Station Sergeant Eustace Ifill, acting on instructions from the DPP, withdrew the Crown’s case against Crawford for want of prosecution, noting that a case of that type could not continue if virtual complainants in the matter said the man charged was not who had assaulted them, and were unwilling to testify against the accused.