(KINGSTON, JAMAICA) – Two Jamaica Defence Force soldiers accused of sexual assault were granted bail when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday. The two accused were offered bail in the amount of $500,000 with strict conditions.
Reports are that on March 11, 2021, the now complainant, a JDF trainee, along with a male companion, were in a compromising position inside an abandoned building when the accused entered.
It is alleged that the accused threatened to report the complainant and her companion, demanded money from the pair and subsequently sent the male companion to get the cash.
It is further alleged that one of the soldiers had sexual intercourse with the woman against her will, and forced her to carry out other sexual acts while the other kept watch. The matter was subsequently reported and both men were charged.
However, in applying for bail on Wednesday, Queen’s Counsel Peter Champagnie, who appeared for one of the soldiers, stated that the allegations did not reveal any active participation on the part of his client who had denied any knowledge of the act because from where he was positioned on the compound, he was not aware of anything happening illegally with the complainant.
The co-accused was represented by Vanessa Taylor. Both men are set to return to court on April 29, 2021.
