Speaker Trotman accused of sexually molesting 13-year-old boy

Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman

… accuser claims he was pampered

By Bhisham Mohamed

In one of the most shocking scandals here in recent times, Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman was on Friday accused of sexually molesting a little boy when he was 13 years old. The now 22-year-old said he decided to speak out, after trying valiantly for a settlement to no avail.

Trotman has dismissed the allegations as scurrilous and tied them to the impending No-Confidence Vote. However, the young man has maintained that the accusations have no political motivation and has since filed a report with the Police.

He also vowed to seek a protection order “just in case I am targeted”. In addition to Trotman, the young man has also named two other persons, including a close relative, as his alleged abusers. “I have waited long enough for justice and now is my time…,” the young man told Guyana Times on Sunday.

Damning

The allegations were first made on the young man’s Facebook Page on Friday evening after he reportedly became frustrated and wanted to expose the persons who had taken away his “innocence”.

The Speaker, in his statement denying the allegations, described them as “wicked assertions”. He also said that the allegations were malicious and were being peddled by “an unstable young man, who appears to have a troubled mind”.

Trotman also said that the allegations might have been politically influenced. “Conveniently, such scandalous assertions are obviously intended to provide a timely distraction from the serious prevailing political situation in Guyana, which imminently requires me as Speaker of the National Assembly to guide the ship of the nation’s Parliament through the strongest test to Guyana’s constitutional democracy: the debate of a No-Confidence Motion,” Trotman said in a release.

He said he would not allow the Office of Speaker of the National Assembly to be compromised or be denigrated by false accusations for political expediency.

“There is absolutely no truth in the allegation, and I am confident that the masterminds and supporters of this dastardly plot will soon be exposed,” said Trotman, who is also one of the founders of the Alliance For Change (AFC) and a former Presidential Candidate. He called for a thorough and professional investigation into the allegations.

No political forces

However, the young man told Guyana Times that he was not in any way manipulated by political forces, as the time had come for him to expose the three men who are responsible for what he has become.

He explained that at the time he was sexually molested, his father and Trotman were close friends. He named his father and another close friend of his who resides in Yarrowkabra on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway as among his abusers.

The young man added that it was while he was attending the St Agnes Primary School that he was formally introduced to Trotman as his father’s close associate. After school, he reminisced, he and his brother would visit the Attorney-at-Law at his South Road office, but after a while his brother stopped, while he continued visiting Trotman.

He recalled the first day that Trotman allegedly made him perform oral sex on him and the second time, he reportedly penetrated him. That incident reportedly occurred in a house in the vicinity of the Palms on Brickdam.

He said during the time he was allegedly molested, he was pampered with clothes, boots, school items, watches and other expensive gifts to keep quiet. The assault in his childhood resulted in him suffering from a severe case of depression, which led him to seek counselling while in Trinidad and Tobago. It was while there he was advised by his counsellor that true healing would occur if he confronts the individuals who sexually abused him as a child.

The alleged victim returned to Guyana in July with the intention of confronting his abusers, including Trotman, in a civil manner. According to him, he visited Trotman’s office one week after arriving in Guyana, informing him that he was in need of a place to live, a job and money.

He was reportedly informed by Trotman that there was a vacancy at the Home Affairs Ministry, but when that did not suit him, the Speaker of the House wrote him a recommendation for a supervisor’s position at the Pegasus Hotel, but this too fell through.

The recommendation, which was dated August 13, 2014 and signed by the Speaker, was seen by this newspaper.

Threats to expose

It was during this period that the alleged victim threatened to expose Trotman if he did not pay him GY$20 million and provide a written apology. After seeking legal advice, the alleged victim was told that the figure was “unreasonable”, and it was then he agreed that the least he would collect would be GY$5 million.

By this time, he had sought the assistance of an attorney who negotiated on behalf of him. Initially, it is alleged that Trotman offered him $1.75 million, but he refused. He then offered to pay him $2.5 million, but this did not reach his $5 million mark. The last round of negotiations between the lawyer and Trotman reportedly took place on Saturday night, but ended on a sour note.

“The time for negotiations and compromise has long ended. I don’t want money anymore… I want justice and I will make sure that my father, his friend and Uncle Raphael pay,” the young man stated. He reiterated that due to the molestation, he had to receive counselling.

He is presently ill and claims that he might not live to see justice being served, but at least, he is happy that the three men were exposed for their wrongdoings. “Uncle Trotman should stop hiding behind that post, Speaker of the National Assembly. He should come out and confess what he has done to me as a child; he took away my innocence,” he alleged.

The young man said his father left Guyana and is now residing in Brazil. His entire family, he noted, went against his father after the disclosure was made. He said too that the AFC should distance itself from Trotman, warning that he would unearth that which has been hidden, if the party does not.

AFC response

Meanwhile, the AFC said that the accusations are directly intended to besmirch and tarnish the party and its leaders. “The Guyanese public is well aware of the campaign of attacks and vilifications of its leaders which has been waged openly perpetuated by known political elements and provocateurs acting on behalf of those to whom they are beholden,” the party said in a release.

The AFC, the statement said, is now in receipt of information that the allegations against Trotman are completely fabricated. The party said that the allegations are an attempt to create mischief by manufacturing a falsified public impression of the party and its officials, and condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the reprehensible exploitation of this, such a heinous crime against minors, for political purposes.

The party added that the accusations are another “desperate and reprehensible attempt” to disrupt the tabling of the No-Confidence Motion when Parliament resumes in October.