A month after he allegedly raped an 18 -year-old female, a serving member of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) has been charged, and yesterday he was taken to court and remanded.
The man appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel-Edwards in the All Saints Magistrate’s Court, accompanied by one of his superior officers.
The accused cannot be named unless he has been convicted, while certain details about where the incident occurred have been left out to protect the victim’s identity as required by law.
It is alleged that on February 16th he forced himself on the teenager who
subsequently reported the matter to the Special Victims Unit.
Given the serious nature of the offence which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and the fact that the accused is a non-national, the court denied bail.
The accused can, however, still apply for bail in the High Court.
In the meantime, his committal is set for June 5th to determine when he will face a High Court trial.
He was not required to enter a plea at the hearing where he was represented by Sherfield Bowen, who was sitting in for attorney Michael Archibald.