Court dismisses appeal of rapist

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday upheld the conviction and sentencing of Kenrick Morrison, who was serving a seven-year jail term for the rape of a child; he was released on bail in 2016 pending the outcome of the appeal and has now been ordered to surrender himself to the authorities.

In 2015, Morrison was found guilty by a 12-member jury of the offence, which stated that on February 12, 2013, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.

He was subsequently sentenced by the trial judge, Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court in Georgetown. In his appeal, filed by attorney-at-law, Mark Conway, Morrison, among other things, argued that the trial judge misdirected the jurors and made several errors while summing up the evidence. The judge was accused of being unbalanced in the summation.

Morrison also claimed that the indictment was bad in law and that he was charged under the wrong section of the Sexual Offences Act.

The appeal was heard by Chancellor (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Justice Dawn Gregory and, Justice Rishi Persaud.  The State was represented by the prosecutor, Mercedes Glasford.

The Chancellor, who delivered the ruling, said that the court did not find that the trial judge erred in law and there was no miscarriage of justice. She then dismissed the appeal and told Morrison to surrender himself to the authorities to serve his sentence.

According to reports, Morrison is known to the victim and her family; he reportedly dragged the child into his house, kissed her and fondled her private parts. The victim managed to escape and confided in her parents. The matter was reported to the police and Morrison was arrested.