Orange Walk Court finds man guilty of attempted murder of common-law

There were two guilty verdicts today in the Supreme Court sitting of the Northern District in Orange Walk Town. Justice Herbert Lord delivered his verdict in the case of Kenroy Foreman who stood trial by judge alone.  Foreman was tried for the attempted murder of his former common-law law back in April of 2009 in Trial Farm Village. The judge found him guilty of slitting this wife’s throat three times. Justice Lord also presided over the trial by jury of Santiago Coc. Coc was indicted for the offence of rape committed between February and March of 2008 in Chan Pine Ridge Village. The victim is a mentally challenged woman. Coc alleged that the intercourse was consensual, but in cross examination he admitted that he was aware of her mental challenges at the time that he had intercourse with her. The jury this afternoon returned a verdict of guilty to the statutory alternative of carnally knowing a mentally challenged woman contrary to Section forty-seven-two B of the Criminal Code. In a footnote, we note the relevant legislation uses the words “idiot” and “imbecile”. Sentencing of Foreman and Coc is scheduled for May twenty-third. Both cases were prosecuted by Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell and Sabita Maharaj.