After deliberating for nearly two hours, a nine-member jury unanimously found Oswin Barker not guilty of rape at the end of a weeklong trial.
Mr. Barker, a former chef at Charlie’s Restaurant in Road Town, was accused of driving his co-worker to Brandywine Bay against her will and raping her in his car on March 21.
“The jury, for some reason, has found you not guilty,” said Justice Albert Redhead, before discharging the defendant. The alleged victim sat weeping as Mr. Barker exited the courtroom.
While the prosecution focused on testimony from the alleged victim, who took the stand for more than eight hours over the course of two days, the defence relied heavily on a video of a police interview in which Mr. Barker maintained his innocence and explained that he had been in an intimate relationship with the alleged victim.
“I feel good,” Mr. Barker said, just outside the courtroom. “I told the police the truth from the beginning.”
See the Nov. 22, 2012 edition for full coverage.