Court of Appeal orders retrial for convicted child rapist

The Court of Appeal on Thursday set aside the conviction of Collin Cummings, who was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for the rape of an eight-year-old girl.

The Court ordered that the Linden resident be retired at the next practical sitting of the Demerara Assizes.

In 2018, Cummings was found guilty by a jury of raping an eight-year-old girl on August 20, 2016, in the county of Demerara.

He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by High Court Judge, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall.

Dissatisfied, Cummings maintained his innocence and moved to the appellate court to quash the trial court’s decision.

He claimed several errors in law were made by the trial judge, including imposing an excessive sentence.

The appeal was heard by Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud along with High Court Judge Jo-Ann Barlow. The State was represented by Prosecutor Abigail Gibbs.

Finding merit in Cummings’s claims, the Court allowed the appeal, noting that the interest of justice demands a retrial.