Man guilty of raping girl, 5

A nine-member jury deliberated for just one hour on Monday before returning with a verdict of guilty against a 61-year-old man who raped a girl 11 years ago when she was five years old.

Conrad Matthias is expected to be sentenced on December 6 by San Fernando High Court Judge Justice Maria Wilson.

The girl, now 16, testified that on a date between 2006 and 2008, she was raped by Matthias who is from south Trinidad.

Prosecutor Sarah de Silva led evidence from the girl in the Third Assize Criminal court that she was confronted in a bedroom and ordered to take off her clothes. She told the judge and jury she remembered telling Matthias “no” but he raped her. The girl told her mother who reported the matter to the police on January 7, 2008. PC Irmaine Johnson recorded a statement from the child’s mother and a medical examination confirmed the child was raped.

Matthias was charged with one count of having sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 14. The mother, who was a witness for the State, was actually cross-examined by de Silva after she became uncooperative and refused to give evidence in accordance with the statement she gave to the police.

Matthias, who was represented by attorney Renuka Rambhajan, did not testify.