PORT OF SPAIN – A 42-year-old man and his 42-year-old common law wife, will reappear in court on March 31 on more than 40 sexually related charges involving the woman’s daughter.
The two appeared before Senior Magistrate Christine Charles in the Couva Magistrates’ Court in Central Trinidad. The man faces 23 charges of sexual penetration of a girl under the age of 16, while the woman faces four charges of failing to report to the police that she exposed a child she was responsible for to mental and emotional injuries. She also faces an additional four charges for failing to report that her daughter was being sexually abused.
The prosecution also read out 13 charges to the woman. Attorney Andre Koolmalsingh, in seeking bail for the couple, said that his clients had no previous criminal convictions, except that the stepfather was previously charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
But the prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that the incidents of penetration were too numerous.
“What concerns the court is the number of incidents and where is the child staying. Bail is refused,” Magistrate Charles said advising the couple that they were free to apply to a judge in chambers for bail.
(CMC)
