A jury on Tuesday acquitted a man who back in 2016 was accused of breaking into the Essequibo Coast home of a woman and raping her at knife-point after waking her from her sleep.
The allegation against Troy Richards called “Monty,” then 21 years old, had been that on May 28th, 2016 he sexually penetrated the then 30-year-old woman without her consent.
The 12-member panel found him unanimously not guilty of the charge.
The case for the prosecution had been that sometime after midnight on the morning in question, the woman was awakened by the feel of a sharp object pressing against her neck and a hand covering her mouth.
The court had heard from the woman that after opening her eyes, she recognized that it was Richards whom she knew, kneeling over her; ordering her not to scream and to do exactly as she was being told.
The mother of two who told the court that she was home with her children at the time, related that the accused who was clad in only trunks, then ordered her to remover her underwear, but she refused.
She said that it was at that time that the man pressed the knife he had to her neck, even harder, which saw her pleading with him not do her anything, stating that she would give him all the money she had.
The woman told the court the man related that he did not want money, only sex.
The virtual complainant then related feeling her body become weak, at which point she said she then pushed her underwear down as far as it could go, while the accused used his foot to completely remove the under garment, as he continued covering her mouth.
The court would then hear that the man sexually penetrated the woman after which he demanded $6,000 to catch a boat.
The trial heard that the woman gave the man some money, but it was less than the amount he demanded, causing him to become enraged and more aggressive.
She related trying to scramble the knife from him and at that point they ended up in a scuffle in her backyard which lasted for some 30 minutes.
She said she held on to the knife which Richards pulled, causing her to sustain a cut to her left thumb.
He then escaped.
The court heard that following the ordeal, the woman was admitted to hospital for four days.
The matter was reported and a police investigation was launched, which led to Richards being arrested and charged.
The trial proceedings were heard in-camera before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court at Suddie.
The State’s case was presented by Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken.
