Photo: (l to r) Kareem Bennett & Devoney Rudolph Flowers, charged

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Sept. 14, 2023

Two men in their early 40s are currently behind bars at the Belize Central Prison on the charge of raping a 15-year-old girl at an apartment on George Street, Belize City.

The accused were identified as Kareem Bennett, 43, a Belizean-American, and Devoney Rudolph Flowers, 42, a Belize City resident.

Reports are that on September 11, at around 4:00 a.m., cops caught wind of noises coming out of an apartment building situated at the same location, and when they arrived at the source of the sound, they were denied entry.

The cops forced their way through door and found both the accused men and the victim, who was partially nude lying on a bed in a semi-conscious state.

Additional details have indicated that the teen attended a party earlier with her step-sister, and was left alone at the function. At approximately 7:00 p.m., the teen decided to walk to the bus terminal to catch a bus. She stopped at a store to purchase a drink, where she encountered a man whom she asked to take her to a nearby restroom, which ended being the apartment on George Street.

At the apartment there were reportedly five men, who were drinking. The teen left the drink that she had purchased unattended, and proceeded to use the restroom. After exiting the restroom the men gave her back her drink, and when she decided to leave they disallowed her.

After the teen finished her drink she lost consciousness, which she didn’t regain until the cops found her.

She was taken for a medical examination in the presence of a social worker, which revealed she was raped.

On Wednesday, September 13, both men appeared at the Magistrate Court where bail was denied to them; as a result, they were both remanded to prison until November 17.