Dismissed charge not first

The Guyanese man with only one name, who last week had an indecent assault charge against a child dismissed because the police failed to produce a file for four years, had been charged on three previous occasions with indecent assault.

Mankad, of Essequibo River, Guyana, pleaded guilty to one of those charges in 2016 and was reprimanded and discharged. However, up to press time, the Saturday Sun could not ascertain the status of the other charges or even Mankad’s immigration status in Barbados.

On September 20, 2016, Mankad, who was listed as a 48-year-old farmer, pleaded guilty in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court, before Magistrate Douglas Frederick, to indecently assaulting a teenage girl on September 17.

Mankad, who has only one eye, apologised to the girl in court. He was reprimanded and discharged, and handed over to immigration officials.

However, a year later, on September 9, 2017, he appeared at the Bridgetown Traffic Court before Acting Magistrate Sandra Rawlins charged with indecently assaulting another teenager. At that time, prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe informed the court that he was already on bail from the Holetown Magistrates’ Court on a similar offence.

Acting Magistrate Rawlins told Mankad that the charge before the court was “quite serious” and as such he would spend some time on remand.

He returned to court on October 9 with an attorney, who pleaded for him to be released from prison and handed over to immigration officials because he had “no immigration status”.

Selling clothes

The lawyer also told the court that Mankad had been coming to Barbados for 17 years to sell clothes.

However, Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant declined the bail application, stating that the matter was indictable.

Then in June 2020, Mankad appeared in court again charged with indecently assaulting a nine-yearold girl. He was remanded to Dodds Prison but was released on bail that September.

However, days after his release, he was brought back to court charged with indecently assaulting a tenyear-old girl on February 29, 2020. Prosecutor Sergeant Edwin Pinder, in objecting to bail, told the court Mankad was already on bail for another charge of indecent assault and that he had only recently been granted bail for a second offence.

Magistrate Alison Burke remanded him to

Dodds Prison.

Last week Friday, Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes dismissed the June 2020 charge against Mankad, stating that the police had failed to produce a file for four years. However, he warned him that police could re-lodge the case.

Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce told the Daily Nation earlier this week that an investigation would be carried out to determine why no file had been produced and that the charge would be brought back against Mankad.

When contacted yesterday, a Government official said Mankad did not have any convictions against his name and his immigration status was unknown.

The official explained that even though he was handed over to immigration officials back in 2016, that did not mean a deportation order had been made against him by the magistrate.

Meanwhile, child rights activist Felicia Dujon has reiterated her call for a Sex Offenders Registry.

“I am calling on the Government to take immediate and decisive action to protect our nation’s children. The establishment of a comprehensive Sex Offenders Registry is essential for three main reasons. First, it serves as a crucial tool for law enforcement . . . officials, ensuring that they have the necessary information [on] known offenders . . . .

“Second, a registry empowers communities by providing them with the knowledge they need to protect their children and take precautionary measures against potential threats.

“Finally, it acts as a deterrent, sending a strong message that sexual offences will not be tolerated and that offenders will be held accountable, with their actions permanently recorded and accessible.”

Highest priority

She added that the “safety of our children must be our highest priority and . . . failure to protect them is simply unacceptable”.

“Parents are rightfully asking, ‘How can we protect our children when the state fails to ensure that effective mechanisms are in place? Where is the voice of Child Protection Services and other agencies responsible for safeguarding our children? And how can the new Child Protection Bill, which received much coverage, assist in preventing such failures?’ These questions reflect the deep concern and frustration felt by parents across Barbados,” Dujon stated. (MB)

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