…in first case at new Sexual Offences Court
A West Demerara man, who was confined at the Camp Street jail awaiting trial, will now be able to spend his days as a free man following an acquittal by a jury at the High Court in Georgetown on Monday. The former accused, Sunil Dindial was indicted on one count of rape of a child and another count of sexual activity with a child.
On the first count, he was accused of rape of child under 16 whereby he allegedly penetrated a pre-teen female using his finger. The 12-member jury found him not guilty at a proportion of 11-1.
On the second count, Dindial was indicted for sexual activity with the said child by way of allegedly kissing but the jury members during their nearly three-hour deliberations also found not guilty at a 10-2 proportion.
Both matters allegedly occurred on October 3, 2016, at a community in Demerara and Dindial who was said to be in his late 40s was implicated.
After the verdict was handed down, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall highlighted to Dindial that he was found not guilty and was free to go.
After being released from shackles, the man exited the courtroom and was escorted out on his path to freedom. Dindial was represented by attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson while State Prosecutor Shawnette Austin led the matter which was the first case to be tried at the new Sexual Offences Court that was launched at the High Court on November 14.
At that launch, it was highlighted by Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards, that the statistics have shown that more than 50 per cent of the cases for the Demerara Assizes over the last two sessions revealed that sexual offences comprised half of the list.
“So if half of the list comprised sexual offences, it meant that the other indictable offences…took second place…that is something we have to address,” she highlighted.
The Supreme Court of Judicature hopes to take the Sexual Offences Court model to the other two counties – Berbice and Essequibo – in an effort to reduce the increased incidence of such cases.
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