Latest update December 8th, 2024 3:08 AM
Apr 17, 2010 News
– denies the charge
Acting Chief Magistrate, Melissa Robertson, yesterday remanded the Village Imam who has been ensnared in a sex probe with a 14-year-old girl.
Clairmont Meertins, of 6063 Alexander Village, was not required to plead to two counts of carnal knowledge when he appeared in court yesterday.
The allegation was that Meertins, on February 14, 2010, had carnal knowledge of a female under the age of 15.
It was further alleged that Meertins, February 19, last, again had carnal knowledge of the same girl. The accused was not represented yesterday.
Meertins told the court that he vehemently denies the allegations before him. However, the victim who was present in court said that he kept her against her will.
The court was told that the teen was kept in a box whenever visitors were in the home.
Her hands and feet were tied up and her mouth was taped. The teen also revealed that Meertins’s wife, who is said to be 19 years old, had invited her to stay a night at their home.
Police Prosecutor, Stephen Telford, said that bail should be denied because of the seriousness of the offence. The matter was called up to the bench and after a lengthy discussion Meertins was remanded.
He is expected to make another court appearance on May 4 and the matter was also transferred to Court Six for trial.
Kaieteur News understands that additional charges are expected to be laid against Meertins.
The matter had sparked the interest of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali- Hack, after a rank at the Ruimveldt Police Station told relatives of the victim that the file was with the DPP.
However, the DPP, in an invited comment, denied that any file was sent to her.
The DPP said that she was “highly peeved” that police officers blatantly practice to misguide the public when they claim that she has a specific file when that is not the truth.
The DPP made contact with ‘A’ Division officer in charge of crime, Mr. Winston Cosbert, who himself said he had not received the file.
Kaieteur News understands that criminal files would normally be sent to Mr. Cosbert before they are forwarded to the DPP.
The DPP said that Mr. Cosbert mounted an investigation to see which rank would be so bold to blatantly lie on himself and the DPP.
The police, subsequently, in a press statement said that information gleaned from police ranks at stations ought not to and cannot be considered as an official position of the Guyana Police Force on a particular issue.
The release said that a junior rank was the person who took the call and the rank clearly did not understand the processes involved in getting a file to the DPP for legal advice to be given.
The 14-year-old has alleged that she was forced to have sex and was held captive for one month by an Imam of Alexander village.
The distraught teen alleged that she was beaten by the Iman. The distressed young lady explained that she managed to escape on March 17, 2010.
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