BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE two members of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, who were charged with rape, had their matter traversed to the January 2012 Criminal Assizes at the Basseterre High Court today (Dec. 13).
The men were arraigned at the 2011 September Criminal Assizes where they both pleaded not guilty to having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl.
Both men are being represented by Senior Counsel Dr. Henry Browne.
The alleged incident occurred on February 19, 2011 at the Fort Thomas Hotel in Basseterre and the men were arrested on February 24.
The two soldiers are said to be Lance Corporals, the first rank in the chain of command in an army.
According to information reaching SKNVibes, sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on the day of the incident, while the teenager was standing on the road leading into Shadwell Estate in the vicinity of the renowned Shadwell Great House, an army patrol vehicle stopped close to her and a soldier ordered her to get into it.
It is alleged that the girl refused and one of the soldiers who was seated in the vehicle disembarked and pushed her into it, where she was forced to sit between two men.
Information further states that she was taken to the historic Fort Thomas Hotel and allegedly raped by two soldiers in one of the bars by the poolside.
An informed source told this publication that after allegedly raping the 16-year-old, the soldiers placed her back into the vehicle, drove to the Newtown playfield and left her there in the company of another soldier.
The girl was then allegedly taken to Upper Monkey Hill by the same vehicle driven by the soldiers, where she then went to the home of one of her cousins and told them of the incident.
