Twenty-nine-year-old Kent Ruben of Vieux Fort pleaded guilty to raping a 26-year-old woman before Justice Kenneth Benjamin at the High Court on Wednesday last week.
According to the facts relayed by Prosecutor Jenin Samuel-Kisna, the victim, who is also from Vieux Fort, met some friends, including Ruben. They were drinking and having fun. At about 7pm, they decided to go home. While the virtual complainant was walking home, she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned and noticed Ruben following her. He caught up with her and they walked together. When she was about to cross the old runway, Ruben grabbed her arm. She asked him to drop her arm but instead Ruben started telling her how much he loves her. She then began running away from him. he gave chase and caught up with her at the Beausejour junction. He dragged her across the road, through a barbed wire fence and behind some trees.
He tore her skirt. While all this was taking place, she was struggling with him, screaming and shouting for help. She kept asking him to let her go but he grabbed her throat, pushed her to the ground and proceeded to have sexual intercourse with her, both vaginally and anally, without her consent. She asked him to stop but he didn’t. When he eventually did, she ran along the road, stopped a vehicle and asked the driver to drop her at the hospital.
Upon examination there, she was found to have superficial abrasions to her vaginal area and anal region. She also had bite marks on the left side of her face, right arm and neck.
The same day, the young woman reported the matter to the Vieux Fort police. Ruben was immediately arrested and charged.
He gave a statement under caution, admitting to the crime, stating that he pulled her (the victim) under the bushes, took off her clothes and forced himself on her.
He also said he apologizes to her because he did not mean to hurt her. He added that he was drunk and that the alcohol had taken control of him.
Ruben is represented by Huggins Nicholas. He will reappear before the court for sentencing on July 13.
Advertisement
Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...
This Week's Polls - VOTE NOW!
Loading ... Loading ... Loading ...Advertisements
Suggested Sites
19 Responses for “Young man pleads guilty to rape”
Comments are closed
RSS
He needs to be locked up and throw th e keys away. What is becoming of St Lucia. I remember when i was in St Lucia it was nothing Like that. King needs to put the island back in control before it gets worse
Like I said, there is a difference tween humanbeings and mankind (kind of a man). Mankind is just a higher animal with no regards to others.
Humanbeings were placed amongst mankind so that mankind can learn and evolve, until then they are animals, it’s their nature. If you can differentiate them, then you know what to expect.
do onto others as onto you….his turn comeing…..being drunk is no excuse for rape.some women prefer you kill them than rape them .rape is murder of a womans soul….enjoy the snakes in dennery
why are people first port of call for blame the government did mr king ask the man to rape the girl i think not…i believe that everybody is responsible ofr their actions he did the crime not mr king and he should do the time….people remember that we the people appoint our government and we are the one with the power to make a change no vote no government stop blaming and take responsibilitiy for our selves and our action be it good or bad…
I agree with you Happy. For all those people who were blaming Kenny Anthony for all the crimes being commited I hope they take back their words.
The man should be publicly castrated. Disgusting…
WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK YOU HAVE NO STRENGTH SO ALCOHOL IS NOT AN EXCUSE THE SYSTEM BETTER HANDLE THAT CASE PROPERLY ITS TIME PEOPLE STOP USING COP OUTS FOR THEIR ACTIONS JUSTICE NEEDS TO BE SERVED FOR THE GIRL
This is EXACTLY why my wife and I will NOT visit the island again. I cannot and will not feel safe with my wife walking down the street. Even the hotel workers at the hotel where we were staying said that they were robbed while walking home from work, IN THERE OWN NEIGHBORHOOD! I cannot help but to blame the government for the understaffed police force. WHAT A SHAME! Like I said…I had a great time but I was in the privacy of the resort. I would love to get out and enjoy the island with my wife but it’s just not safe for visitors.
I believed that this guy had already plan out his crime, why did he follow the young woman after grabbing her arm he take no for yes. This is not the first time he has done something so disgusting and then using alcohol for his crime. He should be locked up i’m tired of hearing we woman is being raped by dirty men.
How sad, that visitors cannot feeling safe, when you think of it, that shouldn’t be in such a small Island, that takes away the romance of traveling, feeling free to go wherever you can afford, do some people ever think of how long some tourists have to work and what conditions they go through before they can afford such a vacation? we seem to forget that there so many other places tourists can go to and feel SAFE !!! traveling around the country!!! Wake up ST. LUCIA, Our tourism Industry is already suffering, especially it is so difficult to get to St Lucia from certain countries! Take note The Tourist Board, Our Politicians ETC. Check out the web, you`ll see arrangements super deals you get in those countries, beautiful settings especially the far east!!! Man How i wish we could be such a dream destination, which we are actually, only to be mobbed by such cheap acts of violence!! Man that makes me mad!! Raise the Penalties !! Make use of the law more effectively Let the Punishment SUIT THE CRIME!! for mother natures sake Bring Back peace to our Sweet Island!! not the last trumpet on this issue!!!!!!!
When will we stop blaming the government for people’s individual actions. That man acted like a primate for a serious offense. He should be locked away and the key thrown in the sea. This plan was clearly thought of bedore the crime and therefore he should definately pay for his crimes!!!
It is disheartening as a woman to hear things of that nature. This man is lucky he pleaded guilty and apologized because there is an Almighty. Whether or not he gets the punishment he deserves he will get it later… Sometimes alcohol turns the gentlest man into a beast so if his plea is genuine then I can tell you he must be fighting with himself mentally.
I totally agree with *happy*. Whenever something happens we are always quick to blame the government. I’m sure Mr King is doing his best as a leader and the police are trying to curb on the violence. Why don’t we blame the parents too??? Everyone is too share the blame for society’s miscreants.
It is sad that all this is scaring away visitors but this is an issue among all touristic, third world destinations. The governments are unstable, the country’s economy is unstable, lots of unemployed young individuals therefore resulting in crime. What about Trinidad and Tobago?? Yes, the problem has become more widespread and alarming but this is only because it is a small island compared to other islands.
This guy sounds like a PIG and he needs to be locked up for the rest of his life. There are just too many women who’s been sexually assaulted by these PIGS and these PIGS get away with it. It’s about time the courts teach them a lesson with long prison terms. It’s sad what our country is letting these RAPIST get away with. We need or St. Lucia back!!!!!
Wow I really want to address some of the comments I see listed here…
I totally agree with Happy, people stop blaming the government that is not the answer. As some said: the criminal needs to be the sole person blamed for his actions and the penalties need to be more severe and the results more swift.
All lucians living in foreign, stop reflecting of how St. lucia was when you lived here 5, 10, 15 years ago. I am fed up of that! Sure it is a much different place now, yes bad things happens but a lot of good happens too, but those of us living here know why we love this country.
And to all of those persons living away that have such great ideas as to how the country should be run, why not come back home and dedicate 5 years of your life to helping the nation instead of criticizing from a far! Its so easy to criticize and then turn your back.
If all of you were so interested in a better tomorrow for St. Lucia you would not keep voting these greedy and self motivated idiots into power every time (that goes for both Labour and UWP). We must be able to find a group of intelligent, talented and trustworthy St. Lucians who can be put into power to take their roles seriously and really concentrate on the betterment of the nation and its people.
About Tourism although this is not an excuse the world has become more violent place wherever you are, a crime can happen to you anywhere, at anytime once the opportunity is present. So staying locked up in your hotel room is like sticking your head in the sand, instead get out, visit and explore but be aware of your surroundings and dont put your self at unnecessary risk. If you are so conscious about safety especially at night then there are tons of things to do during the day. Instead of walking, take a taxi or a minibus and support the small man.
I have had enough of people saying that they want change but when you check them out they arent willing to do anything about it.
thanks sima, you said a mouthful, and i agree with your statements. my hubby is st lucian, i go every year and fall in love with your country EVERYTIME. all islands have negative/positive aspects, dont be too critical. there is no paradise on earth that has no violence. sure, it’s a small island, and yes, those who criticize their own homeland and say that they will never come back is the most shameful thing a person can say because when your adopted country see fit they can deport you at any time for their own reasons and where will you be?…that’s right…back in st lucia, your homeland the place that would never turn their back on you. stop complaining and do something about it.
This is unfortunate and I only hope this young woman can rebuild her life after such a horrific ordeal. Many of you say the Gov’t is not to blame for the defendants actions, and you’re right, their responsibility lies in setting and UPHOLDING the laws which will serve justice as deserved. One of the seemingly recurrent themes is the imbalance of justice for St. Lucians and a society where affluence or ‘connections’ often determine the outcome of such incidents. I believe in punishment with a fair trial, but this time he’s already admitted guilt. Let’s see if this barbaric trend of violently raping women would continue if the Gov’t sent a clear message that this type of behavior would not be tolerated and the consequences would match the act in measure. Alcohol is the continual crutch for people to violate others or even speak their minds…one cannot be inebriated as such to lose complete control, your conscience is ever present, even when ‘drunk’….stop the BS and give this BillyGoat exactly what he deserves!!!!
To the young lady my prayers go’s out to you. The bible says the fear of the lord is the Beggining of wisdom, we have to start walking in line with the word of God then and only then will things get better for us. We have to stop blaming the government and start blaming our selves. We need to stop putting people in power for what we can get from them. Let us put God fearing men in there, we need a country that is governed by men of God and not by men who comes in for their own wants and needs. People of ST Lucia without God we are nothing and can do nothing we need him to govern us. Why don’t we all come together and start to pray and ask the lord to send us a man from him? He answers prays you know. I’m not in ST Lucia right now but believe you me , I always say to people there is no place like home sweet ST Lucia, the land of my birth. ST Lucians lets take our home land back from the ungodly men and put it back in the hand of the creator. This is when the crime will stop. No government can do anything about it. I will leave with you the answer to the problems in our life, is the distance of our knees to the floor god bless this land.
Now let’s get this straightened out here, the first sentence of the article states: “Twenty-nine-year-old Kent Ruben of Vieux Fort pleaded guilty to raping a 26-year-old woman before Justice Kenneth Benjamin at the High Court on Wednesday last week.”
This man was so bold as to rape a woman in front of the judge passing sentence!?
Besides, how did the authorities know that he was going to commit the crime at his hearing for a crime that had yet to be committed?
Just a thought to “visitor numero uno” please tell me which part of the world do you live in? I was not aware of any place on this earth without crime so please……… get real I am sure you see more crime in your country than you hear about in St. Lucia and I bet they are more gruesome!!!