It’s rape

A man can be charged with raping another man in Barbados, ruled the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday, but it steered clear of the thorny issue of whether buggery as an offence was unconstitutional.

The decision means the rare hearing of such a case will take place when 48-year-old Stephen Alleyne’s charge of unlawful sex without the consent of a man goes back to the Magistrates’ Court.

Alleyne, of Crusher Site Road, Prospect, St James, is accused of committing the offence on August 2, 2015.

Yesterday, the CCJ, Barbados’ highest court, determined that local laws provided for such a charge.

Magistrate Elwood Watts had dismissed the rape charge before even the preliminary matter started. It prompted the Commissioner of Police’s Office to appeal, pointing out the law was gender-neutral. The Court of Appeal sided with the magistrate in April last year. (AC)

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