Man convicted of attempted rape of 4-year-old to be sentenced today 

A Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) man who was found guilty of attempting to rape a four-year-old child will be sentenced today following the conclusion of a High Court trial in Demerara. Ganesh Lewis, 44, of St Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was convicted after a jury unanimously found him guilty of the offence of attempted rape of a child under the age of 16. The trial was conducted before Chief Justice (ag) Navindra Singh. Lewis had been charged under the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 8:03, with two counts, rape of a child under 16 and attempted rape of a child under 16, arising from an incident that occurred on August 2, 2022, in a shed annexed to his brother’s barbershop.
At the close of the trial, the jury returned a not-guilty verdict on the rape charge but found Lewis guilty on the alternative count of attempted rape. According to the prosecution’s case, a resident went to the barbershop, which was closed at the time, and noticed movement in a nearby shed. Upon investigating, the resident reportedly saw Lewis with his pants down, while the child’s pants were also down, and observed Lewis standing behind the child in a compromising position. The resident confronted Lewis, who then left the area with the child.
The child’s family, who knew Lewis as a close family friend was informed and the matter was reported to the police. Lewis was arrested on August 4, 2022, and denied the allegations. In his defence, Lewis told the court that he was asleep at home when the child called out to him and later went to the barbershop area after hearing noises. He claimed that he was merely lifting the child off a stool when the resident arrived and misinterpreted the situation. However, the prosecution argued that Lewis’ account was implausible, noting that the barbershop was closed and not within earshot of his home, making it unlikely that he could have heard any disturbance. Lewis was first charged on January 27, 2023, and following a preliminary inquiry, he was committed to stand trial on September 21, 2024, after a magistrate found that a prima facie case had been established. He was represented by attorney-at-law Ronald Bostwick, while the prosecution was led by Simran Gajraj, with Christopher Belfield and Geneva Wills.