by Kristen Ku

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 14, 2024

For weeks, the news of a prominent Belize City attorney was the talk of the town after rape allegations against him surfaced. Initially, his identity was not revealed though many had their suspicions. Finally, last week the suspicions were put to rest as attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington was officially charged for one count of rape and arraigned in court.

The allegations stem from an incident in January, where Elrington is accused of bringing two women back to his home in Belize City after a night at Thirsty Thursday’s nightclub. The women later reported to police that they were sexually assaulted by Elrington, and they suspect they were drugged, as they could not recall further details of the night.

Subsequently, many had condemned the accusations, including the United Democratic Party (UDP), with which Elrington has strong ties.

On January 16, after a press release from the political party requesting a thorough investigation into the case, the attorney resigned from his active roles within the party, including his position as the party’s Legal Counsel.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lynn Vidal was tasked with deciding whether to formally charge Elrington. And after an extensive investigation, which included meetings with the victims and further inquiries, Vidal authorized the charge of one count of rape against Elrington on March 7.

“I met with the complainants in the matter, and based on what they said to me we did additional work, and it was at the end of that process that we were in a position to make a decision,” Vidal stated.

Elrington was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court on March 8 where he was not permitted to enter a plea of not guilty. Due to the serious nature of the charges, the case is to be handled by the High Court.

Despite the severity of the charges, however, Elrington was granted bail of $8,000, with two sureties of $4,000 each.

“In terms of the issue with the rape, as I had said to the media before that the DPP was reviewing the matter, she met with the police, she met with the victims, and after having been satisfied that there was sufficient [evidence] to lay charges for rape against one of the victims, she gave that instruction to the police and we adhere to her instructions,” Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams commented to the media on March 13.

Elrington is scheduled to reappear in court in May.