BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MONTCLAIRE MITCHAM of Lozack Road, Basseterre closed his eyes and released a deep sigh of relief when he heard that a 12-member jury had cleared him of a rape charge.
The 10-two divided verdict was returned yesterday (Jan. 29) after a three-day trial.
According to the prosecution, Mitcham allegedly raped a woman on April 23, 2012.
“There is a God…He don’t sleep,” said a teary eyed Mitcham who sought to catch his breath on a bench in the Independence Square.
SKNVibes caught up with the young man, who is in his 30s, to find out what was going through his mind and how he felt now that the ordeal is over.
“Most of the time I didn’t think it was real. At first it didn’t seem like reality, but when I got into the courthouse and going through the whole the trial, it hit me then and there that I could go to jail,” he said.
Mitcham said that he had learned that the maximum sentence for rape was in the region of 15 to 20 years.
He stared off into the Square taking deep breaths several times as he recapped his experience, stating that he was falsely accused of the crime.
“The Law states you are innocent until proven guilty, but while in jail it is like you are guilty until proven innocent. I was treated like a convict; the way they spoke to me,” he said.
Mitcham said he was in jail for about a week for the alleged crime when he was arrested, adding that he is a sub-contractor in the construction field and had a job to complete but could not have done so because he was incarcerated.
He also had another job to perform, which he was supposed to have started on the day before the trial ended and is hoping that he would still be able have it.
The person who accused him of rape was someone with whom he was acquainted.
“This came as really a shock to me,” he said.
Mitcham said that he was happy to be freed of the charge, but claimed that it was disappointing when some of the people with whom he had a close relationship turned their backs on him.
“Never thought that would happen to me,” he said. “This made me open my eyes to those who stayed faithful and stood up for me. I appreciate that they were there throughout the struggle.”
While on bail, Mitcham said he had to regularly report to the police station as part of the condition set out by the Court.
“Once you are charged, people start judging you and it was hard for me to go to the station and sign in and put down rape next to my name. That was very hard,” said the father of one.
