48 Y-O gets 38 Years Jail for raping 36 Y-O woman

CONVICTED: Odinga Emmanuel

A 12 Member Jury in December found 48 years Old Odinga Emmanuel guilty of raping a woman back in 2018 and his date for sentencing was set for today. When the man appeared in court, he was sentenced to 38 years in jail for his crime.

Odinga is said to be from Imbaimadai Landing, Upper Mazaruni River, and his trial was held in Essequibo High Court before Justice Beharry Sewnarine- Beharry.

On the day in question, the woman attended a friend’s wake which was kept a short distance from the home of her common-law spouse. She then began inquiring about her partner’s whereabouts when Emmanuel told her he had already left for home.

When the woman arrived at her partner’s home, she noticed the door was half-open. She went into his bedroom where she saw Emanuel who ran towards her, threw her onto the floor, and proceeded to rape her.

The woman began to scream and scratched Emmanuel on his face.  Her reputed husband came to her rescue and dragged the man off of her. A report was made to the Police and Emmanuel was later arrested and charged. Emmanuel was said to be a close friend of the couple.

During a sentencing hearing on Monday, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry told the convict that his actions were premeditated, noting that he exposed the woman to sexually transmitted diseases (STD) since he did not use a condom.

The High Court judge also took into consideration the psychological trauma the incident has caused the victim. In a victim impact statement, the woman said that she is now left to live with the “stigma” associated with sex crimes.

A probation report revealed that Emmanuel was in the habit of consuming alcohol and is currently before the courts for other crimes.  Emmanuel, who becomes eligible for parole after serving 30 years, was represented by Attorney-at-Law Lachmi Dindayal. State Counsel Tiffini Lyken appeared for the prosecution.