Stepfather charged with raping teen

BY ROBERT ALONZO, Trinidad Guardian

History was made in the local courts yesterday when a mother appeared in court charged with refusing to inform the police that her daughter was being sexually abused by her (the daughter’s) stepfather.

Police said the 14-year-old girl, who lives in Carenage, is now seven months pregnant.

The 38-year-old mother and husband, 42, was refused bail when they appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court.

The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges laid by Constable Claude Murphy.

They are to reappear in court today when the issue of bail is expected to be addressed.

The mother faces two charges of having knowledge that her daughter was being raped and did nothing while the man is charged with raping the teenager in July and August last year in Diego Martin.

Police charged the mother under the new Sexual Offences Act.

The new Act states that anyone including a mother, father, guardian, aunt, uncle, a person with temporary custodian of a child, even a medical doctor or midwife who withholds information about a minor being sexually abused, could be charged with failing to report the matter to the police.

The landmark decision to charge the mother was made by senior officers of the Western Division who had been probing the girl’s allegation since last week.

The investigation was headed by Senior Supt Selwyn Glasgow, Supt Nadir Mohammed and Sgt Anthony Lezama.

Police alleged that the girl told them she had told her mother on several occasions that her stepfather had been sexually abusing her.

Investigators claimed the mother did nothing. Police said the traumatised girl confided in her grandmother who took her to West End Police Station.

Police interviewed the girl and when they took her for a medical examination the doctor discovered she was already seven months pregnant.

Senior officers said when they questioned the mother about the matter she admitted that her daughter had been telling her about the ordeal but she (the mother) did nothing.