A Chaguanas woman and her husband who allegedly had sex with their teenage daughter over a four-year period were granted bail totalling $225,000 yesterday. As a condition of their bail, the married couple have to stay 100 metres from the 18-year-old girl and have no contact with her. When the matter was called before Senior Magistrate Gillian David-Scotland in the Chaguanas Magistrates Court, members of the public, including the media, were asked to leave the court. The mother, a housewife, and father, an assistant supervisor, stood side-by- side as the magistrate read the charges to them. Both mother and daughter began crying during the proceedings.
The mother and father are jointly charged with having sexual intercourse with the girl between January 1, 2010 and February 28, 2014. The mother was slapped with a separate charge of committing grievous sexual assault on her child on December 24, 2013. The girl, who lived with her parents and six other siblings, said her parents performed the sex acts on her at their home. It also is alleged a sex toy was used. The parents were arrested at their home on Friday after the girl made a report to the Chaguanas police. They were subsequently charged by WPC Mohan.
Court prosecutor Sgt Shiva Boodoo did not object to bail. He said the teenager had moved out of the house and was living with her aunt. However, he said the girl complained that her brother had threatened her. When the brother was called before the magistrate he denied the allegation. Several relatives were at the court lending support to the parents. In an application for bail, the couple’s attorney Taradath Singh said they had no other matters in court. He said the father was responsible for the welfare of seven children and neither of them owned a valid T&T passport.
The father was granted $100,000 bail while the mother was granted $125,000 bail. The case was adjourned to May 5.