42 year old married man and father of 10, Joel Hernandez, was accused of a beastly crime, raping a 13 year old girl – and what’s worse is that his 23 year old son is accused of raping the same child.
But while his son is on the run, today, the Calla Creek resident’s case went before a jury in the Supreme Court. The jury heard evidence purporting that it happened in September of 2006, but it was not discovered until a month when the girl’s mother went to a doctor who told her that her 13-year-old had contracted Herpes
The 13-year-old told the court that she went to buy at a shop in the village when Hernandez – who is a relative - called her over and then pulled her into the nearby bushes and raped her. The child also testified that his son raped her as well, but she could not remember when that happened. In his defense, Hernandez who did not deny being related to the victim however denied having sex with the child. He said it could not have been him because he was working in Belmopan at the time.
Today, a jury of 7 women and 2 men who had deliberated a little over two hours, and could not reach a verdict. With that Justice Oswall Legall told Hernandez that he will be given a retrial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. Hernandez was free to go on bail.
