A police officer accused of raping a Columbian prostitute at a reputed brothel in central Trinidad more than a decade ago has been freed.
PC Derek Badree was on trial before a nine-member jury before the charges were dismissed by High Court Judge Nalini Singh who upheld a no-case submission over the failure of the alleged victim to testify.
Badree was accused of attacking the woman on November 14, 2008, when he was assigned to Gran Couva Police Station.
State prosecutors claimed Badree and a colleague went to the brothel in Chase Village in plain clothes. Badree was reportedly approached by the woman, who agreed to have sex with him for $240.
The woman claimed that when they went to a room located upstairs, Badree threatened her with his pistol, forced her to undress, threw her on the bed and sexually assaulted her. The incident only ended when employees of the brothel heard the woman’s screams and knocked on the door.
The woman made a report at the Chaguanas Police Station the following day.
When Badree was arrested days later and charged with rape, grievous sexual assault, and attempted buggery.
While the case was being managed by Justice Singh before going to trial, State prosecutors claimed the woman, who returned to her country after the incident, would come to Trinidad to testify in person. However, when the trial started on January 16, they applied for her and two other witnesses to testify virtually.
Badree’s lawyers objected but Justice Singh permitted the move. Prosecutors then applied to have the woman’s evidence from the preliminary inquiry to be used instead of her testimony at trial.
Justice Singh gave prosecutors until 11 am yesterday to have the woman testify virtually as the ten other witnesses had completed their evidence. However, she failed to participate by the deadline, leading Badree’s lawyer Chase Pegus to make the no-case application.
In upholding the application, Justice Singh directed the jury to return with not guilty verdicts for the three charges.
Badree was also represented by Danyal Mohammed. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was represented by Rebecca Trim-Wright and Kezia Burkette.