Robbery convict found not guilty on rape charge

A former Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) resident, who is currently serving time in prison for armed robbery, was on Wednesday, found not guilty on a rape charge.

Ejaz Ali Khan, 32, was tried for the offence of rape by a mixed 12-member jury before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Demerara.

However, after deliberating for over two hours, the jury delivered a unanimous not guilty verdict, acquitting Khan of the offence which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Court facts revealed that on July 28, 2020, Khan stormed into a woman’s shop she operated at her residence and slammed her head into the wall.

He did so while telling her that he was armed with a gun and that he would burn down her home if she called the police on him. During the ordeal. he allegedly raped her.

Khan was found guilty at an earlier date of robbing the woman of several items, including cash and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by a magistrate for armed robbery.

He, was, however, committed to stand trial in the high court on the rape charge and that matter came to an end on Wednesday after the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

The case was prosecuted by State Counsel Nafeeza Baig.