Man Acquitted in 2018 Teen Gang Rape Case

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A man accused of taking part in the gang rape of a teenager seven years ago has been acquitted by a vote of 7-2.

The jury of eight women and one man deliberated for an hour before clearing Cleveland McPhee of the crime.

Prosecutors allege that McPhee, otherwise known as CJ, and another man raped the 14-year-old girl on June 25, 2018.

On the day in question, the teen left home at around 10 pm without her mother’s permission to go to the store.

She said she sought shelter from the rain near an unfinished building at the juncture of Market Street and Wulff Road.

The now-21-year-old woman said that five men dragged her into the storeroom of the building.

The alleged victim testified she tried to fend the men off with a shovel. She said she bit one of the attackers during the struggle and he bit her on the shoulder.

The woman testified that CJ and a fat man raped her, while a third male fondled her breasts and genitals and two others laughed at her.

McPhee exercised his right to remain silent at his trial before Justice Jeanine Weech-Gomez.

However, his lawyer Nathan Smith called a forensic biologist who revealed that DNA tests on a condom recovered from the scene did not match samples taken from McPhee.