A 54-year-old man of Mocha, East Bank Demerara was on Thursday morning hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts following allegations of sexual assault made against him.
Presiding magistrate Ann McLennan ordered the courtroom to be cleared owing to the nature of the offence, so the hearing was held in-camera.
Based on reports reaching this newspaper, the suspect allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a nine-year-old female child by ‘touching and rubbing’ between December 4 and December 24, 2016.
The unrepresented man purportedly pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of $100,000.
According to reports, the child’s mother had sent her to pick vegetables at the accused’s premises when she was allegedly falsely imprisoned by Welch, who locked her in a room and demanded that she expose herself, or else she would not be permitted to leave.
The nine-year-old, out of fear, permitted the man to fondle her, and subsequently related the incident to her mother, who made a report to the relevant authorities, upon which the perpetrator was arrested by Police and charged with the offence.
