Bus driver found not guilty of raping differently-abled woman

A 48-year-old Route 42 (Georgetown-Timehri) minibus driver has been found not guilty of rape by the Demerara Sexual Offences Court. A 12-member jury took about two hours to reach the unanimous verdict on Friday, resulting in the acquittal of Sherwin Reynolds.
Reynolds of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was charged with the crime back in September 2018. It was alleged that on April 19, 2018, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration of a 21-year-old differently-abled woman without her consent.
He had been on trial for the offence before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. Reynolds was represented by Attorney-at-Law Teriq Mohammed while State Counsel Paneeta Persaud, State Counsel Cicelia Corbin, and State Counsel Caressa Henry appeared for the prosecution.
It has been reported that, on the day in question, the woman, who is mute, boarded Reynolds’s bus to travel from Georgetown to Timehri. She allegedly refused to exit the vehicle and was taken back to Georgetown, where she again remained in the bus, and was taken back to Timehri for a second time. It had been alleged that Reynolds then drove the woman to a secluded area and raped her. The woman went home and told her parents what had transpired. A report was made to the Police which led to Reynolds being arrested. A confrontation was reportedly held between him and the woman, during which she identified him as the person who had raped her. (G1)