Parliamentarian Neil Rowe, in a 40-minute defence statement from the dock, maintained that he never had sex with the woman who has accused him of rape.
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“I was wrongfully charged for a crime I did not commit. It was heartbreaking. My name was dragged through the mud,” he said today.
The Member of Parliament for St Michael North West chose to make a statement from the dock after the options were presented to him by the clerk of the No. 5 Supreme Court at 10:51 a.m.
Rowe, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, is accused of having sexual intercourse with a woman on September 18, 2022, without her consent or being reckless as to whether she consented. His trial began on April 6, and the prosecution closed its case last week, paving the way for Rowe, of Kingsland Terrace, Christ Church, to present his defence today.
From the dock, Rowe recounted the events from when he first met the complainant in July 2022 to when he was charged by police in October that same year.
He stated that he had nothing to hide and willingly submitted a DNA sample, as he was confident it would not be found on the woman.
The defence called Rowe’s mother and Dr La-Tonia Arthur as its witnesses.
Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis is leading the prosecution, and a nine-member jury—comprising five women and four men—has been empanelled to hear the matter before Justice Pamela Beckles. (AC)