Eight of 16 men freed in gang rape case
Remaining defendants abscond bail
Published:Tuesday | March 29, 2022 | 12:08 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Eight men who were reportedly among 16 accused of gang-raping a woman at gunpoint in Kingston four years ago were acquitted last Wednesday in the Home Circuit Court.
The defendants were found not guilty of illegal possession of a firearm, rape and using a firearm to commit a felony by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes.
The other eight defendants have absconded bail.
At the time of the incident, which reportedly occurred in April 2018, the defendant’s ages ranged from 16 to 26 while the complainant was 23.
According to the allegations, on the day in question, the complainant, who lived in a tenement yard, was downstairs talking to her boyfriend in his car when one of the men approached her and said he wanted to speak to her.
The complainant reportedly left the car and followed the man upstairs to his room. At some point during the trek, a gun reportedly came into play.
The woman was reportedly forced into the room, where she was assaulted by the man and several other men who later entered his room.
Following the ordeal, the woman reported the matter and the men were arrested and charged.
The incident is said to have followed an earlier incident in which the complainant was chastised by tenants after she and another female was reportedly observed in a compromising position and she was reportedly warned by men in the community to leave the area.
However, at the end of the trial, which commenced last May, Justice Sykes found that the identification of the defendants was not established beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge also found that there were glaring inconsistencies and omissions between the complainant’s statement and her testimony.