Man found guilty of raping girl, 16

Vickram Persaud was on Monday convicted by a 12-member jury for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in 2009.

Persaud was on trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Demerara High Court. The jury found him guilty of the indictment which read that he committed the act on June 7, 2009, in the county of Demerara.

He was represented by attorney Nirvan Singh, while the State’s case was presented by Prosecutors Sarah Martin and Nafeeza Baig. Persaud was remanded to prison and will return to court for sentencing and a probation report on May 25, 2021.

According to reports, Persaud and the victim were alone in his boat along the Demerara River. The court heard that Persaud began to slow down the boat and was heading to a creek away from their destination.

It is alleged that Persaud jumped out of the boat and tied it with a rope to a nearby tree. He went back for the victim and dragged her up a hill. The teen cried out for help and held on to several trees but Persaud threatened to strangle her.

It is alleged that when he reached the top of the hill after a two-hour journey, Persaud told the victim that he would not take her home until she gives him some “wife.”

After raping the teenager, Persaud took her to his mother’s house and made contact with the victim’s relatives. It is alleged that Persaud told the victim’s mother that his boat ran out of gas, so he was unable to take the victim home.

The teenager later confided in her relatives and the matter was reported to the police. Persaud was caught by the police while hiding in a clump of bushes in Timehri on the East Bank of Demerara.