By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MOTHER testified yesterday that a man broke into her house in Andros twice in 2022 and raped her daughter during the second intrusion.
The victim’s mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the complainant, testified in the rape and burglary trial of 27-year-old Garnet Thompson Jr before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns.
Prosecutors allege Thompson broke into the complainant’s Cargill Creek, Andros home on the night of November 18, 2022 and raped her. The victim was 27 at the time.
The complainant’s mother told the court that around 9pm on November 16 2022 she arrived home from work and saw the defendant, whom she called “GJ”, sitting in her chair.
When she asked why he was there, she said he told her he was trying to take a nap.
She said she told him to leave and locked the door after he exited. She testified that when she asked her daughter if she knew the defendant had been inside, her daughter said she didn’t.
At about 1.45am on November 18 2022, her distraught daughter came into her room and said “‘mommy mommy GJ raped me”.
After comforting her daughter, she said she saw the defendant standing in the hallway wearing a yellow shirt. She recalled telling him to leave the house or she would call police. She said he told her not to call police before leaving.
After calling police, she said she and her daughter gave statements at about 11am later that morning.
The next day, she identified the defendant in a photo lineup.
She told the court the defendant was like family prior to the incident and that she had known him for 20 years. She said he did not have permission to be in her home on either occasion.
When questioned by defence attorney Nathan Smith, the complainant’s mother said the defendant would sometimes be in her yard for events and would help with grilling.
She told Mr Smith there were no signs of forced entry. While she said her daughter and grandchildren were at home during the first incident, she could not say how long they had been there.
She denied Mr Smith’s suggestion that she was being untruthful in her testimony. She said she did not report the first intrusion at the time because she had no reason to believe the defendant would return.
Kristin Butler-Beneby and Betty Wilson are prosecuting.
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