Mother, doctor testify for defence in Neil Rowe rape trial

Two key defence witnesses took the stand on Tuesday in the ongoing rape trial of Member of Parliament Neil Rowe, including his mother and a public medical officer.

Merna Inniss, the mother of the accused and co-owner of the Kingsland, Christ Church residence where the alleged incident occurred, told the No. 5 Supreme Court that she had no knowledge a woman was in her son’s bedroom until she opened the door and saw the complainant wrapped in a blanket on the bed.

Under cross-examination by State Counsel Olivia Davis, she explained that she had seen her son in the kitchen moving around after she made breakfast for him, and she went to his room to get his clothes to wash them. When she entered the room, she saw the woman.

Inniss testified that she and her husband occupied a separate bedroom in the house that required them to exit the room to access a bathroom, whereas Rowe used the master bedroom.

She said she did not hear or observe anything unusual on the morning of September 18, 2022, when the alleged rape was said to have taken place.

Inniss told the court she had instructed her son not to bring anybody at her house. However, she told the court she did not question the complainant about her presence, only telling Rowe that he should have informed her.

Also testifying for the defence was Public Medical Officer for the Southern Division, Dr Latonia Arthur, a specialist in emergency medicine and clinical forensics.

Dr Arthur, who had been assigned by The Barbados Police Service to examine the complainant, testified that efforts to secure an appointment with the woman were unsuccessful.

The expert witness, who has 15 years’ experience and has performed hundreds of examinations, said the complainant was unavailable to meet the pre-arranged appointment. Dr Arthur said when she called the complainant on October 2, 2022 to set a new date, the woman was “dismissive and abrupt”.

She also testified that the complainant had refused to allow the findings of a previous medical examination conducted by another doctor to be shared with police investigators.