By Makeida Antonio
The trial involving a man accused of rape will continue in the High Court today.
Yesterday, the alleged victim was the first to take the stand and she told the court what occurred between her and the accused on the day of the incident.
She was later cross-examined by defense attorney Pete-Semaj McKnight, who questioned her in relation to statements she had made to the police.
The jury, consisting of six women and three men, put forward nine questions to the victim, including whether or not the accused and her boyfriend were friends, and why she didn’t tell the accused to leave when she realised it was not her boyfriend when she heard someone else in the house while she was there alone.
She responded to the latter by stating “I never knew what he was up to”.
The victim’s boyfriend was also introduced to the court as the second witness.
He told the court that he had lived at the house where the alleged incident occurred for four years, was employed when the incident occurred, but he was not at work at the time.
Further responding to questions posed by McKnight, he said the victim usually had a happy countenance and her hair was always well groomed, but it didn’t appear so when he saw her after the alleged incident.
The victim was 18 years old at the time of the alleged rape while the accused was 24.
According to the Crown, the defendant, who pleaded not guilty, is accused of breaching Section 31A of the Sexual Offences Act (1995).
The rape allegedly occurred on September 5, 2018.