Sutherland acquitted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor

A 65-year-old man who was accused of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl since she was 12 years old was on Wednesday, February 15, acquitted of the charge, after a nine member jury could not decide his fate.{{more}}

After Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle told Morslin Sutherland he was free to leave the court, the man turned to the jury, held up his hand and said: “Thanks.”

The jury, made up of eight women and one man, deliberated for close to three hours and returned with a hung jury. The foreperson of the jury told the court that there were five guilty verdicts and four not guilty.

Sutherland was charged with having unlawful sex intercourse with the girl, now 15, back in 2008, between June and December.

In her testimony to the court, the girl said she and Sutherland were very close friends. She noted that she used to frequent Sutherland’s house to visit his daughter.

“The friendship been good. He show me how to smoke, drink and he teach me how to spend money… We used to smoke and laugh and have sexual intercourse…,” she added.

She testified that she started having sex with Sutherland when she had just started secondary school.

The girl said she had sex with Sutherland in June, July, August, September, October, November and December.

Recalling one encounter, the girl said both of them were watching tv at Sutherland’s home when he asked if she wanted to be “friends” with him.

The girl said she replied in the affirmative and Sutherland then took off his clothes and started winding on her. She stated that he rubbed petroleum jelly on his penis and had sex with her.

“After that, we started having sex sometimes when I come home from school. Sometimes I pass by him once or twice a day,” she added.

She also testified that they sometimes had sex everyday and that she used to climb through his window to meet him.

“Was he giving you money?” asked prosecutor Carl Williams. “Yes! always,” the girl boldly replied.

“Did you have sex in one position?” The girl replied: “Any how.” She also testified that Sutherland never used a condom.

“He told me that he can’t make children because doctors did ah operation on his head and removed veins from his eyes and back,” she said with a big grin on her face.

According to the girl, she was taken to the police station when she became pregnant in April 2011.

When asked by the foreperson of the jury if Sutherland was the father of her child, the girl said “No”.

Without any legal representation, Sutherland told the court that he never had sex with the girl.

“This young lady is just lying. I can’t even have sex. I took out the veins from my eyes…,”

Sutherland explained to the court as he pointed to left side of his head.

He revealed that after spending 41 years in North America, he returned to St Vincent in 2004.

Sutherland said he knew the girl from around the area, and said that she used to come by his house and take his things.

He stated that at one point, the girl was even living in the downstairs of his house and that she used to have sex with other people.

However, he noted that the girl used to frequent his house when he was not at home.

Sutherland also admitted that he smokes marijuana because he got permission from his doctor to do so.

“Where is the proof that I had sex with her? How only after three 3 years this come up?” Sutherland questioned.

A woman who testified on Sutherland’s behalf told the court that she used to wash for Sutherland every weekend after his wife migrated to North America in 2004. She told the court that the girl used to come to the house at times and ask for a drink of water.