‘Uncle’ found guilty of raping 11-y-o child in Guyana
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – A High Court judge on Monday delayed the sentencing of Chandralall Lakhraj, who was found guilty of two counts of rape committed on an 11-year-old girl left in his care.
Lakhraj, also called “Uncle Pappi”, who was before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a 12-member jury at the Berbice High Court denied the first charge indictments which alleged that between September 1 and October 9, 2019, he engaged in sexual penetration of the child.
He also denied that during the same period, he engaged in sexual activity with the child by causing her to touch his penis.
After deliberating for more than two hours, the 12-member jury found Lakhraj guilty of the indictments and Justice Reynolds deferred sentencing to September 13, pending the presentation of probation and other social impact reports.
The High Court was told that the child had been removed from her parent’s home due to neglect and placed in Lakhraj’s care by the authorities.
Lakhraj lived in the bottom flat of a home with no walls separating rooms. The flat had three beds and the victim would sleep inside of a hammock.
The court heard that at night, Lakhraj would come to the victim’s hammock and sexually assault her.
The teen later confided in her school teacher and the matter was reported to the police.
In his defence, Lakhraj told the court he is innocent and was working in Suriname when the rape allegedly occurred.