SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Days after being accused of sexually assaulting and killing a nine-year-old girl, a teenage boy told detectives he did not act alone. He said two men had also been at the scene, they had sex with the child before he did and one of them later killed her. He identified the man.

The startling revelation was made in court on Thursday as a police detective continued his testimony in the case against the boy. He is accused of raping, buggering, and killing the nine-year-old after she accepted his invitation to pick apples as they walked home from school.

The court was told that the boy, who was 13 years old at the time of the girl’s murder on June 5, 2018, told the police during a question and answer session with his lawyer present that the two men were already in the bushes when he and the girl arrived.

He said he knew one of the men, and he had a machete. The other had a gun, the teenager said in his June 14, 2018 statement.

The boy told the police that the man with the gun removed the girl’s underwear and had sex with her first. He also told the police that he only had vaginal sex with the nine-year-old. Forensic reports have shown that the child was violated vaginally and anally.

Initially, in giving his statement, the boy told the police that he did not know who killed the girl. He later admitted that the man he knew strangled her.

The accused said he did not tell his parents about what had happened.

When questioned by Renelle Morgan from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the detective told the court that enquiries were made into the man whom the accused named as the girl’s killer, but the police found no reason to charge him.

The seasoned detective said, while he regarded it as a matter of priority, a colleague was tasked with conducting enquiries into the boy’s allegations that the man murdered the girl. He rejected suggestions from defence lawyer Devon Brown that his failure to interview the man suggested lack of interest and incompetence on his part.

Also on Thursday, the boy’s khaki shirt, khaki pants, underwear, and black shoes were entered into evidence as numbered exhibits. The forensic doctor who conducted the post-mortem also testified.

The cause of death was asphyxia caused by manual strangulation. The girl also had lacerations of the vagina and anus. While on the stand, the consultant forensic pathologist told the court that blood and white thick fluid resembling semen were seen in the girl’s anal canal.

The doctor explained that a male, aged 12 and above, is capable of ejaculating semen through the process of masturbation or sexual intercourse.

He also explained that the lacerations seen could be caused by the entry of an erect penis or any other similar object. He further explained that the damage seen could be caused by severe forcible penetration from a disproportional or larger erect penis than the vaginal and anal canal of the victim.

The case is being heard by Supreme Court Judge Courtney Daye. The prosecution is led by Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn, supported by Morgan and Loriann Thugwell. The defence is led by Denley Saddoo, supported by Brown.

The case is expected to resume on Monday.