A man, who allegedly sodomised a four-year-old boy, before fatally lashing him to the head, was today charged for the gruesome murder.
Twenty-one-year-old Joseph James appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts.
It is alleged that on October 7, 2019, at Silver Hill, Soesdyke, Linden Highway, James murdered Alex Price, his stepson, during the course of the rape.
An unrepresented James was not required to plead to the indictable charge after it was read to him by the Magistrate.
According to information, the child was left in the care of James but was later discovered lying unconscious and naked state with blood oozing from his head at their Silver Hill, Soesdyke/Linden Highway home. He was not wearing any clothing.
However, the stepfather alleged that he had left the child home alone to go to the shop and when he returned, he found him lying in bed unresponsive.
An alarm was raised and the child was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The matter was then reported and following an investigation, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) advised that the stepfather be charged with murder.
A post mortem (PM) examination revealed that the child was sodomised and then struck to the head. The result also showed that the child died from blunt trauma to the head.
The Chief Magistrate, after listening to the facts, remanded James to prison until October 23, when he will appear at the Linden Magistrate’s Courts.
