Police still questioning House Speaker’s accuser in sexual molestation matter

Last Updated on Monday, 22 September 2014, 16:41 by GxMedia

Police were still questioning a 22-year old man who accused House Speaker, Raphael Trotman of sexually molesting him when he was 13 years old and showering him with goodies to hush up.

Chief of the Criminal Investigations Department, Senior Superintendent Leslie James said investigators were checking aspects of the report before deciding whether to question Trotman. “We must exhaust what is reported first and based on our checks we will determine the way forward,” James told Demerara Waves Online News.

Trotman, insisting that he is innocent, said he also wanted the police probe to extend to whether the plot was aimed at besmirching the integrity of the Constitutional Office of Speaker of the National Assembly at a time when the House is preparing to debate a no-confidence motion that could inevitably see the government falling and calling elections within 90 days. Trotman was confident that his name would be cleared of the allegations. “I have every confidence that not only will the police do a good and thorough investigation but that I will be completely exonerated so I am going to cooperate and if I find them lapsing, I am going to get behind them,” he said.

The no-confidence motion is sponsored by the AFC that Trotman co-founded and holds seven of the 33 opposition seats.

The House Speaker confirmed giving the accuser a character reference, but insisted that it was a very general document that was provided only because he knew the young man’s family. The young man has also implicated his Brazil-based father and another friend in allegedly sexually molesting him.

But Presidential Advisor on Governance and Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira thrashed claims that the government or the governing party has plotted against the Speaker.

 “I have never heard of it (allegation) before, would never have crossed my mind so I don’t know anything about any plot. The AFC seems to be looking for a plot under everybody’s beds. Maybe they should look for plots under their own bed,” she told reporters.