Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams told the court today that the alleged victim in the Neil Rowe rape case informed him that the Member of Parliament had sexually assaulted her.
That was part of Abrahams’ eight-minute testimony as Rowe’s trial entered the third day.
Rowe, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly is accused of having sexual intercourse with a woman on September 18, 2022, without her consent or was reckless as to whether she consented.
Abrahams could not recall the exact date when the call came to him but said when the virtual complainant told him “Neil assaulted her” he asked “who Neil?”. She said to him “Neil Rowe”.
Abrahams is the fifth witness in the matter and said he attended a “Surf Rat” event at High Gate in the area between St Michael and St George.
When he arrived, the virtual complainant was already there, as well as Rowe and others. At some point, all three of them went to use the chemical toilets, he said, and the virtual complainant went in and stumbled out the toilet before going back in..
When he was finished using the toilet he left the two there talking, washed his hands and they returned to the table where they had gathered earlier.
It was raining and he became fed up and decided to leave, at which point he asked the complainant how she was getting home. She responded, he said, that she was covered and going home with the person who brought her to the event.
The next call he got from her she sounded upset and said that she “needed” to talk to him, the Minister told the court.
She started off by telling him she did not know if she should speak with him because she did not want to put him in a spot, he said.
Abrahams said he asked her what was going on and that was when she told him about the assault.
Justice Pamela Beckles of the No.5 Supreme Court is presiding over the matter.
Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis is the prosecutor and a nine-member jury of five women and four men has been empanelled to deliberate the matter.
Rowe, of #658 Kingsland Terrace, Christ Church and sitting MP for St Michael North West, is represented by King’s Counsel Michael Lashley and his team of Safiya Moore, Sade Harris and Johnelle King.
