By Latrishka Thomas
A 26-year-old Villa man will be facing a judge and jury in the High Court’s September assizes for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl.
The defendant, who is facing four sexual offence charges, is accused of having sex with the young girl without her consent on two occasions in 2019.
It is said that the young girl is well known to the accused who, prior to the report, was friends with her mother who lives near him.
On July 13, the child reportedly visited her mother in Villa but her mother was at the accused’s home at the time, helping his wife to braid someone’s hair.
The complainant was playing videogames with her siblings and a relative of the accused’s wife in a room at the accused’s home.
When the accused returned home, the child attempted to leave but he apparently blocked her way and locked the door at which point she begged to leave.
The defendant demanded that she be quiet, then told her to lay down on the bed before allegedly forcefully having sex with her without protection.
Afterwards, he reportedly threatened to strangle her if she told anyone.
A month later, while walking home in the rain, the girl was offered a ride by the defendant which she accepted.
He then allegedly took her to a road in front of her mother’s house, locked the doors and got in the backseat where he again forced himself upon her.
Then, on August 22, the accused is said to have called the child’s phone and her grandparents, who she lived with, overheard her. They inquired into the nature of the conversation and she told them about the entire ordeal.
A report was made, investigations carried out and the accused was arrested and charged about two weeks later.