BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HIS presumption of innocence was dismissed when a jury unanimously convicted Donald Rawlins of the burglary offence for which he was charged.

The prosecution attempted to and was successful in proving that the accused, during the early morning hours of September 14, 2008, broke into the home of Angela Jarvis with intent to commit larceny.

According to Jarvis, she had secured her home sometime after 11:00 p.m. when she arrived there. However, at about 4:00 the next morning she heard a rumbling and tumbling inside the house and on investigating she observed that the back door was not in the same condition in which she had left it. It was open.

Her husband, Noris, testified that he was asleep when, at about 4:00 in the morning, he heard his wife screaming. Noris said he went to investigate and saw someone appear from another room. The person, he added, escaped through the same door that his wife met open. 

Noris said that he went by the back door and saw an individual jumping over the fence.  He further explained that he got a glimpse of the person, whom he identified as Rawlins, as he “looked back” before making his way over the wall.

Noris told the court that he checked the house and did not find anything missing.

A report was filed at the Basseterre Police Station which resulted in Rawlins being arrested and charged.

After less than an hour and a half of deliberations, a four-man/eight-woman jury returned with their verdict.

Rawlins pleaded with His Lordship Justice Francis Belle to be lenient with him and to exercise mercy.

Justice Belle however ordered a social inquiry and Rawlins is to return to court on July 1, 2009 for sentencing.