Five years now, alleged rape victim 16, awaiting justice

Jan 13, 2021 News

Facebook Activist, Melissa Atwell (fourth from right), Regional Commander, Errol Watts (third from right) and others at the briefing on Monday.

Kaieteur News – It has been more than five years since a report was made concerning the alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl, and the perpetrator has not been brought to justice.
Recently, the teen, who is now 16 years old confided in a couple about allegedly being raped continuously by her father, stepfather, brothers and even one of her cousins.
Upon hearing the teen’s story, the couple reached out to Facebook activist, Melissa Atwell, popularly known on social media as Melly Mel.
In a Facebook live on Sunday evening, Atwell shared the story and called out members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for, “The slackness and ridiculousness that goes on in the GPF as it relates to rape victims.”
Seeking to bring clarity to the issue, Regional Commander, Errol Watts, invited Atwell to a briefing at the Leonora Police Station. Present at the meeting were a member of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA), the head of the Region Three Crime Department and investigators working the case.
Following the briefing, Atwell in an update on her Facebook live, on Monday stated that after going through the statement that was made by the girl in 2015, she understands that, “The perpetrator was arrested, charged and was being prepared for court.”
According to the activist, a few days after, the file was sent back from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) advising the police to charge the alleged perpetrator. The teen’s mother allegedly took her back to the Leonora Police Station and she gave a statement that she no longer wished to proceed with the matter.