by Tashieka Mair, Star Writer

western bureau

A man who allegedly gave in to the sexual advances of a 14-year-old girl, who is now carrying his child, was denied bail in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old carpenter was arrested on March 2, after he and the girl were found in a room together at his house.

When the case was first mentioned in court, his attorney, Morrel Beckford, applied for bail on his client's behalf stating that he acted under duress.

The lawyer said the teenager had become violent with his client whenever he refused to have sex with her. Mr. Beckford added that the girl had also threatened to tell police that his client had raped her, if he did not carry on a sexual relationship with her.

But RM Winsome Henry refused bail saying that the accused should not have entertained a relationship with a child. She also said that the accused might interfere with the complainant as they live close to each other.

Undressing

Allegations are that in early 2005 when the complainant was only 13, she visited the home of the accused and asked him to have sex with her but he did not respond. The complainant, however, started undressing him, but he pushed her away.

It is said that the girl then pushed him on to a bed and repeated her request. He allegedly told her that he would not have sex without a condom, which she retrieved from a drawer, and they had intercourse.

The court heard that they had sex several times after that and that at a later date, she asked him if he would marry her but he told her that she was too young.

On February 28 of this year, the girl reportedly visited him and told him that she did not feel well. He bought her a home pregnancy test, which revealed that she was pregnant.

Subsequently on March 2 at about 6:30 a.m. the girl's mother went to her room to check on her daughter, who was found to be missing. The mother made a report to the police, who later visited the accused man's home and found the two together in a room.

The accused was taken into custody while the girl was taken to a doctor, where it was confirmed that she was several weeks pregnant.