He will be sentenced on Wednesday, November 28
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Nov. 7, 2018– A jury of 5 women and 4 men deliberated for almost 4 hours today in the court of Justice Colin Williams before they found Bert Vasquez, 35, not guilty of forcible abduction but guilty of attempting to commit rape.
The verdict for forcible abduction was a 7-to-2 decision, while the verdict for attempt to commit rape was unanimous.
Justice Williams has deferred sentencing until November 28 in order to give Vasquez, who was unrepresented, time to prepare a plea for mitigation.
The incident for which Vasquez was charged, occurred on January 25. 2011. The victim, who was 20 years old at the time, testified that at about 6 p.m. on that day, she was walking on Freetown Road, coming from her workplace at Heritage Bank on Princess Margaret Drive and was heading for her home on Calle Del Mar, when she met Vasquez, whom she had known for about 5 years, and who offered to take her home in his silver 4-door car with tinted glass.
She said she accepted the offer, but instead of taking her home, Vasquez drove her to an area in Belama Phase 4. She said that when she got in the backseat of the car, Vasquez asked her to borrow her cell phone to call his cousin, but apparently, it was just a ploy to prevent her from making contact with anyone.
“I want you and want you tonight, and if you don’t give me what I want, I will take it by force!” she said Vasquez told her while she attempted to unlock the back doors of the car.
She said Vasquez began to make his way towards her and she pushed him away and begged him not to do what he intended to do.
But despite her pleas, Vasquez took out a knife and told her to take off her clothes, she said. She said Vasquez took off her jacket and forced himself on top of her.
“Either you cooperate, or you will get hurt”, she said he told her.
She said Vasquez then tried to unzip her pants, and while he had his hands between her legs they saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle and Vasquez told her that they had to go somewhere else.
She said Vasquez drove on the highway and drove up to Los Lagos, near to where Nova Shrimp Farm was located. While they were there, he tapped a bag and told her he had a licensed firearm in it, and then he resumed his quest to have sex with her against her will by taking off her brassiere and fondling and kissing her breasts, she testified.
She said she tried to get her clothes because she was half-naked and he told her she did not need clothes because he had to finish what he started.
The victim said she told him she needed to use her phone to call her mother because her mother would be worried about her not arriving home from work yet. She said he allowed her to make the call and she told her mother she was with Bert Vasquez and she would be home in 10 minutes.
She said that they then saw the headlights of a vehicle in a nearby yard and saw a person with a flashlight coming out of the yard. Vasquez, she said, then drove off and took her home.
She said that he was parked in front of her house with her for about an hour before he let her go. Her mother testified and corroborated her testimony about the phone call her daughter said she had made to her.
Vasquez testified and denied that he committed any of the offences. As a matter of fact, he said, he was not with the woman, and, according to him, on the day before the alleged incident, he had met her and she had indicated that she wanted to have a relationship with him.
The Crown was represented by Crown Counsel Killeru Awich.