Twenty four year old Burrell Boom Construction Worker Secundino Cho appeared in Magistrate’s Court on Monday April 20 where he was charged with one count of unlawful carnal knowledge and one count of grievous harm of a girl 13 years 9 months old.
A 13-year-old student of Burrell Boom accused Cho of having sexual intercourse with her on an unspecified date in September of last year. The child along with her father visited the Family Violence Unit where she alleged that Cho had sex with her. As a result, police conducted their investigations which determined that indeed the 13-year-old was indeed carnally known. A doctor who has since examined the child observed that the child was carnally known and classified the injuries to the child’s genital areas as grievous harm.
The child is now over 14-years-old but under the law, the child is considered a minor and cannot give consent to have sex until after the age of 16.
In court, Chief Magistrate Margaret Gabb Mckenzie did not take a plea from Cho but explained to him that a preliminary inquiry will be held and if there is sufficient evidence the matter will be committed to the Supreme Court and that’s where a judge will ask him for a plea on the matter.
Due to the nature of the offense, bail was denied and Cho was remanded into custody until May 20.
