A 49-year-old man has pleaded guilty to several charges over an attack on a pensioner whom he raped at knifepoint until she passed out.
Broan Luke called “Bryan”, of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who had been indicted for the offences of rape; robbery under arms; common assault; and burglary, appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the High Court in Berbice on Thursday.
After each of the charges was read to him, Luke entered a plea of guilty.
With the presiding Judge instructing that a probation report be compiled on the sex offender, he was remanded to prison pending a sentencing hearing which has been fixed for June 27.
It was reported that on August 15, 2021, the then 64-year-old woman had secured her home which she shared with her granddaughter before retiring to bed at about 18:00h.
However, at around 02:00h, the following morning, Luke broke into her home, went into her bedroom where he held onto her neck, and threatened to kill her if she screamed.
He then placed a knife to the fearful woman’s neck and began cuffing her to her face, head, and neck. He held onto her hair and pulled her off the bed, while demanding gold and money.
At this point, the victim’s granddaughter woke up and started to cry but Luke demanded the woman, who begged him not to hurt the child, to make the child stop crying.
According to the prosecution’s facts, Luke subsequently dragged the woman to the inner stairway where he held a knife to her neck and ordered her to take off her underwear or else, he would stab her. The felon then engaged in vaginal and oral sex with the victim without her consent.
The ordeal lasted for about an hour during which the victim was rendered unconscious. She was also forced to hand over the $100,000 she had stashed in a safe to Luke.
When the victim regained consciousness, she contacted her son, and a report was later filed with the Police. Police ranks came to her home and transported her to the hospital. Luke was later arrested at his home by the Police.
When told of the allegations and cautioned, he told the Police his version of the incident, which included, confessing to the crimes. He told investigators that he had consumed Vodka with a friend and smoked a “joint” prior to arriving at the pensioner’s home.
He was initially charged with the crimes on August 21, 2021, and when he appeared at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court, he was remanded to prison.
Following a Paper Committal, Luke was committed to stand trial for the offences after a magistrate ruled that the prosecution had led prima facie evidence against him.
