Bz. City man charged in rape of 3-year-old stepson

The rape of a man or a woman is a horrible crime but when an innocent child becomes the victim, we see just how much evil exists in our society. On Monday, a Belize City woman reported to police that her three-year-old child was having trouble going to the bathroom and was finding it painful to sit. She inspected the baby herself and was shocked to discover a serious wound to the child’s rectum. When asked who had done this to him, the baby identified his stepfather, twenty-one year old Fernando Martinez. A medical examination by health officials resulted in Martinez being charged with the crimes of maim and committing an unnatural act. Because of the sensitive nature of this case, we cannot disclose too much about Martinez for fear of identifying the young victim. But police say he works as a construction worker in Belize City and had been living with the family. On Tuesday, Martinez appeared before Magistrate Margaret McKenzie who offered him bail in the amount of three thousand dollars and two sureties of fifteen hundred dollars each. Martinez met bail and was released, but is restricted from going near the baby or the child’s mother. Unfortunately, cases of child molestation are not all that unusual within Belizean families but the depravity evidenced by this case has shocked and saddened even the most experienced law enforcement and health authorities. The three-year-old victim is expected to undergo surgery shortly.