A man who was identified as one of eight men who abducted and raped a 15-year-old girl at gun-point has been freed. Jerome Williams, 21, steelworker, of Old Harbour, St Catherine, was freed following a no case submission made by defence lawyer Peter Champagnie.

Champagnie submitted in the Gun Court last week that the identification evidence was weak and the girl's evidence was not capable of belief. The girl said under cross-examination that Williams had a handkerchief tied around his head.

She said she saw his face for a limited period of time. The Crown led evidence that on July 9, 2007, the girl was sitting on the roadway in front of her house when the accused, who was armed with a high-powered weapon, called her.

'Bum Bum' raped her

Williams ordered her to follow him to a house in Homestead, St Catherine. When she went to Homestead, the accused, who is also called 'Bum Bum', raped her at gun- point.

The complainant said the accused telephoned eight other men and invited them to have sexual intercourse with her. She said the men had sexual intercourse with her from 8 p.m. to daybreak . After they released her, she said she went to the Old Harbour Police Station, and made a report. Under cross-examination, the complainant denied telling the police in her statement that the accused was accompanied by another person to the premises where she was sexually assaulted. The statement was shown to her.

Mr Justice Bryan Sykes upheld the no case submission and freed Williams.