Rape accused gives unsworn statement

Patterson Orlando Ifill told a High Court that a girl he is accused of raping was at his home, but he insisted he was doing construction work and his stepdaughter was at the house on a day he is alleged to have committed the crime.

The resident of Plum Tree Road, St Stephen’s Hill, St Michael is charged that between November 1 and 30, 2008, he had sexual intercourse with the girl, who was under the age of 14.

Giving an unsworn statement from the dock, Ifill told the four women and five men of the jury in Supreme Court No. 4A that he had lived at the home with his wife and three stepchildren, and the complainant would visit his stepdaughter.

Without giving a specific date, Ifill said: “On the day, I would have been accused of the incident, I was doing construction work on my side door and a window, just making up the door jam which contains little plastering in the presence of my stepdaughter. So on completing the structure, the child was there at that time with my stepdaughter and she leave probably two hours after. I can’t say what time, but she leave eventually.”

Ifill said his stepdaughter was at home the whole day.

Earlier in the week, the complainant had testified that on the day the incident occurred, she was helping Ifill, who she knew as ‘Rastaman’, work on his house. She said she got tired and went inside the house to drink water and cool off and then went into one of the bedrooms to lie down.

She tearfully recalled that while lying there, the accused man came in and raped her. She told the court that she could do nothing as he forced himself on her because he had pinned her hands to the bed.

While she could not remember how long the incident lasted, the complainant said the accused’s stepdaughter was in the house when it happened.

The complainant also spoke about another incident when Ifill came into the bedroom where she was and asked her to perform oral sex on him, and she got up and left.

After that incident, she told a family friend about what occurred. She testified that her father went to her school and took her to the police station, to the Child Care Board, and to a doctor.

The complainant also recalled the accused telling her not to say anything to anyone as he would get in trouble.

Senior State Counsel Joyann Catwell and State Counsel Maya Kellman are prosecuting the matter while attorney Sally Commissiong represents Ifill.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday.