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Mar 06, 2018 News
A charge of sexual assault has been dismissed against Region Nine, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Carl Parker.
It was alleged that during June, 2016 at Yupukari, Central Rupununi, he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old elected official. Parker, who had then, pleaded not guilty to the charge was released on $200,000 bail.
Parker, 53, of Lethem, had made his first court appearance on February, last year before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The matter was subsequently transferred to the Lethem Magistrate’s Court for trial.
Trial Magistrate Alan Wilson, after ordering the prosecution to close its case, dismissed the charge citing insufficient evidence.
Appearing for Parker was Attorney-at-law, Jerome Khan whose no-case submission was upheld by the Magistrate. According to Khan, the trial was delayed for some time because of the victim’s failure to show up in court for cross-examination. Khan said, “I kept complaining (to the court) that this lady was using a delaying tactic.” When the victim did turn up in court, Khan said that she requested to have an Attorney-at-law to appear on her behalf, to which the court had no objections.
But Khan complained that a lawyer never appeared for the woman.
Khan explained, “Not one single bit of her (the victim’s) evidence was corroborated. In fact, the lead detective Sergeant Seetaram was asked to examine the room in which the victim alleged she was sexually assaulted in.”
The Attorney-at-Law further explained that the high point of the victim’s story is that she was prevented from leaving the room for which Parker was the custodian of the keys to the lock.
Sergeant Seetram, Khan recalled, subsequently told the court that from checks, it was necessary to use a key to unlock the door. Khan went on, “Her (the victim’s) entire story was broken down on this piece of evidence. She was fabricating evidence to support her case. There is not one iota of evidence to support sexual assault.”
In relation to the charge, Khan told this publication that the court underscored that it was “bad in law”, meaning that it was filed under the wrong section of the law.
According to Khan, the charge instituted against his client was filed under the section of the law that deals with the punishment the offence attracts, and not the statement of offence.
At his client’s first court hearing, Khan had told reporters that the problem stemmed from his client refusing to allow other elected officials to distribute contracts to their friends in the Region and he was standing strongly on the Procurement Act.
“Parker was approached by several elected officials in Region Nine to award contracts to long standing supporters of the current administration. The allegation came as a shock and surprise to his client. The entire Lethem area is in total shock that Parker is being accused of something like this.”
Khan had told the media that he believes that his client is a victim of a political assault intended to remove him as REO of Region Nine citing that it is evident that the allegations were made against him because he was shifting sides from the governing coalition government to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Khan stressed that the accusation has been trumped up because his client refuses to facilitate contracts.
“This is a political hatchet job inside to remove Parker from his post.” The lawyer had noted that the person who made the allegation against his client is well known to his client and is fully aware that his client would be removed from his post based on her claim. Parker was sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the matter.
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