Berbice man pleads guilty to rape after invading woman’s home

A 29-year-old Berbice man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to rape and assault after breaking into a woman’s home and attacking her in the early hours of the morning.

Anthony Jeffrey, also known as “Tony,” appeared before Justice Deborah Kumar-Chetty at the Berbice High Court, where he admitted to unlawfully entering the woman’s home and sexually penetrating her without consent on March 4, 2024. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm on the same date.

Under Guyana’s laws, Jeffrey was entitled to a jury trial and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. By entering guilty pleas, he waived that right.

While outlining the facts of the case, State Prosecutor Marisa Edwards told the court that at about 12:30 a.m., the woman was awakened by a noise at her window. When she looked up, she saw a man with a T-shirt covering his head entering her bedroom. She began screaming and attempted to escape, but the intruder grabbed her by the neck, threw her onto the bed, and struck her several times.

The prosecutor said the attacker pulled the woman by her hair as she tried to flee and threatened to kill her with a cutlass and a gun, causing her to fear for her life. She managed to run out of the bedroom but was pursued, dragged back inside, thrown onto the bed, and repeatedly struck about her face and head.

Edwards said the attacker removed the woman’s pants and underwear and digitally penetrated her vagina for about ten seconds. During the ordeal, the cloth covering his head came off, and with the bedroom lights on, the woman recognised him as Jeffrey.

According to the prosecutor, Jeffrey held the woman by her neck, removed his pants, and attempted for approximately 30 minutes to insert his penis into her vagina but was unsuccessful. He later demanded that she raise her leg, which she refused. He then digitally penetrated her again and later performed oral sex on her before making another unsuccessful attempt at penetration.

The attack was interrupted when a neighbour arrived at the window and shouted at Jeffrey, who was known to both the victim and the neighbour. Jeffrey, who lived several houses away and had previously worked as a labourer at the woman’s home, fled the scene. The neighbour pursued him, and a scuffle ensued before Jeffrey escaped.

The victim was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital and later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where she was examined by a doctor on the same day. The medical report documented multiple injuries, including facial lacerations, bruising around the neck and upper chest, dental impressions inside the mouth, and vaginal tears.

After being discharged from hospital, the woman made a report at the Rose Hall Police Station.

Prosecutor Edwards said that after his arrest, Jeffrey initially denied any involvement but later admitted that he had been intoxicated and had jumped through the woman’s bedroom window. He subsequently gave further admissions during an audio-video recorded interview.

After hearing the facts, Justice Kumar-Chetty ruled that there was a sufficient factual basis for the guilty pleas and formally accepted them.

The judge ordered that several reports and statements be submitted to the court by February 25, 2026, including a probation report, psychiatric evaluations of both the complainant and Jeffrey, a prison conduct report, victim impact statement, and submissions from the prosecution and defence.

Jeffrey was remanded to prison and is scheduled to return to court on March 5, 2026, for sentencing.