Two men in their 40's were remanded to prison today for raping a 15 year old girl. 43 year old Belizean/American, Kareem Bennett, and 42 year old Belize City resident, Devoney Rudolph were each read a single charge of rape.
At 4:00 in the morning on September 11th, police were alerted to disturbing noises coming out of an apartment on George street. The cops rushed to the location, but were denied entry. They forced their way into the apartment where they saw two men and a partially nude female lying on the bed. The girl was in a semi unconscious state.
Police later learned that the minor had attended a party earlier that night with her step sister, and was left at the function alone. At around 7:00 pm she decided to walk to the bus terminal to catch a bus back to her village. She went to a store to buy a drink where she met a man - who she asked to lead her to a nearby restroom. He took her to the apartment on George Street and upon entering, 5 other male persons were inside drinking. She went to use the restroom and left her drink unattended. Upon returning from the restroom she was given back her drink and when she attempted to leave the man prevented her from doing so. She remembers finishing her drinking and blacked out after, and did not regain consciousness until she was awakened by the police. A medical examination conducted on the female in the presence of a social worker confirmed that she was raped.
Today in court the attorney for Bennett submitted a request for bail, but the police objected, noting the serious nature of the case. After listening to the defense attorney and prosecutor the magistrate denied bail. Both men were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until November 17th.
