BELIZE CITY–A Belize City construction worker and resident of Maskall Street was remanded to prison after he was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer on a single count of rape late this afternoon.

No plea was taken from Alexander Nunez, 24, when the charge of rape was read to him. Magistrate Frazer told him that rape is an indictable matter.

The court prosecutor, Corporal Christopher Smith, objected to the granting of bail to him on three grounds – on the ground that the safety of the witnesses in the matter is of concern to the prosecution; on the basis of the strength of the prosecution’s case, and finally, on the ground of concern for the safety of the accused.

Smith told the court that the accused lives in the immediate vicinity of the virtual complainant, and the court should keep him out of the area for a while.

Magistrate Frazer asked Nunez what he had to say in relation to the prosecutor’s objection to granting him bail.

Nunez, in his reply, did not make an effort to convince the Magistrate to grant him bail, but only told the court, “We were drinking together.”

Frazer responded, telling him, “Alcohol doesn’t give you a license. In fact, you can’t consent if you are drunk.”

“I will uphold the prosecution’s objection and remand you to prison,” Frazer told the accused man.

Frazer remanded Nunez to prison until his next court date on January 27, 2015.

The rape allegedly occurred on Friday, December 19, 2014, when police stumbled upon a man and a woman having sex in a yard.

The two were taken to the police station, and while at the station, the virtual complainant, who is a 43-year-old woman, told police that she did not consent to having sex with Nunez. She also gave police a statement alleging that Nunez was raping her.