Rowe and accuser “held hands like a couple”, witness tells court

Neil Rowe and the woman accusing him of rape were holding hands “like a couple” as they left a party in the early hours of the morning of the alleged assault, a defence witness told the court on Friday.

Barry Daniel, a friend of the accused, was the final witness called by the defence as Rowe’s trial continued before Justice Pamela Beckles in the No. 5 Supreme Court.

Rowe, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, is on trial for allegedly raping a woman at his Kingsland, Christ Church residence on the morning of September 18, 2022. He is represented by Senior Counsel Michael Lashley in association with attorneys Safiya Moore, Sade Harris and Johnette King.

Daniel testified that he, Rowe, and the complainant were all at the same fete. He recalled that while he and Rowe were at the bar, the complainant – whom Rowe introduced as a friend he had met during the election – joined them.

“They were dancing for a bit,” the witness stated. When asked by Moore who he was referring to when he said “they”, the witness responded:

“Neil and [the complainant]. He would have occasionally tapped her…she was enjoying herself…he would have tapped her to tell her stop.”

Pressed to describe how the complainant was dancing, Daniel responded: “Waistline moving, that’s the best way to describe it.”

Under cross-examination by State Counsel Olivia Davis, Daniel testified that the woman was “gyrating” on Rowe while he remained still. When asked whether he heard Rowe tell her to stop, Daniel replied: “I didn’t overhear him say it, but I could see him indicating to her to stop…. You can gesture something… and she would have stopped when he tapped her.”

“Did they dance after that tap?” the prosecutor queried.

“The dancing would have subsided,” Daniel responded.

“Did they stop dancing after that?” Davis persisted.

“They stopped dancing for a period of time,” the witness answered, adding that the woman later resumed dancing on Rowe. “He was just staying there; that’s how he usually does. He doesn’t get on in a disrespectful way.”

Earlier in his testimony, Daniel recalled that as he and Rowe were leaving the party together, he heard footsteps behind them. When he looked back, he saw the complainant approaching.

“From there, she would have walked with him [Rowe]. They held hands like a couple. They held hands together, [and] I veered off to my vehicle, and they went on their way,” he told the court.

The defence and prosecution will present their closing addresses to the nine-member jury next Monday morning, following 26 days of testimony.