Rape charge quashed against C.N Sharma
- after victim declines to offer evidence
Chandra Narine Sharma
The rape charge against prominent businessman and Talk Show host, Chandra Narine Sharma, has been quashed after his accuser told the court that she was no longer interested in proceeding with the matter.
The matter came up before Justice James Bovell Drakes at the Georgetown Supreme Court, following the opening of the October Session of the Demerara Criminal Assizes, yesterday.
Sharma, the proprietor of the CNS Channel Six and Leader of the Justice for All Party was charged with raping an underage female, six years ago.
According to the charge, Sharma had carnal knowledge of a child who was seven years old at the time. The child was thirteen years old when the allegations first surfaced.
She had claimed that the businessman sexually molested her from the age of seven with the knowledge of her mother and siblings.
The 13-year-old victim in a sworn affidavit signed by Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Oaths to Affidavits, Lachman Narine, dated April 12, 2010, recounted a most harrowing tale of repeated rape and sexual molestation of her four sisters over several years.
The 13-year-old girl alleged that Sharma had been sexually molesting her and her sisters, with the consent of their mother. The girl said the abuse only stopped when she ran away and refused to return to her mother’s home.
The victim also claimed that she would receive $2000 weekly from Sharma, following the episodes. The child had also said that she was afraid of Sharma.
She said that she only decided to make public her allegations against the owner of CNS TV 6 given the fact that he had begun, according to her, preying on one of her younger sisters.
The reports further stated that the Human Services and Social Security had launched investigations and removed two young girls (aged five and nine) from their home facilitated by Sharma adjacent to his business place, located at Robb and Wellington Streets.
The Voice of the People talk show host later faced a Preliminary Inquiry (PI), before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell. The entire court proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts were held in camera.
In 2013, Magistrate Lovell had ruled that she found that a prima facie case was made out against Sharma and committed him to stand trial in the High Court for rape.
The victim, now 19 years old, was then questioned by the Prosecution.
She was asked whether she was threatened or received any inducement not to offer further evidence against Sharma. The complainant responded in the negative.
As a result of what she told the court, Justice Bovell-Drakes told Sharma that he was free to go. Back in 2010, Sharma was arrested following reports by the then Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Child Care and Protection Department of multiple rapes committed on the underage sisters.
At his initial appearance at the Georgetown Magistrate Court, the former accused was remanded to prison. He was however later granted bail in the sum of $2M
