We backtrack now to yesterday’s arraignment. All of yesterday, we’d been hearing from multiple reliable sources that Flowers was going to be charged with 2 counts of rape. That’s what, according to our information, the police initially served on him, but they later changed it to unlawful sexual assault.

Yesterday, before his client was arraigned, attorney Dickie Bradley told us that they both suspect that the reason the police changed the charge was to ensure that he couldn’t get bail right after his arraignment in the Magistrate’s Court:

Dickie Bradley - Attorney for Mark Flowers
"Normally when it is a minor the charge is usually unlawful sexual intercourse which would be the equivalent of the old carnal knowledge. There has been an amendment, confusion as usual but he is in fact on the charge sheet charged with rape. Now interestingly enough the client control act has been amended that you cannot get bail for carnal knowledge but in fact rape is a bail able offence in the magistrate court. So on the one hand in his view trying to smear him further and make him a rapist allows the magistrate to give him bail. I've told him he will not get bail, he will have to go to the Supreme Court; rape is a bail able offence in Belize. To show you how they are looking after the women folks. You can rape them and come to court and get bail  but if you in fact sexually abuse a child you can't get bail and one crime is not worse than the other, one is not lesser than the other it's just part of the foolishness that goes on when you tamper with the law and don't look at it.  But the actual charge sheet reads rape."

"If god is willing he will be granted bail shortly."

Information to our newsroom late today was that Bradley was at prison today meeting with Mark Flowers and William “Dannyâ€￾ Mason. We called Bradley just a short time ago and he said t6hat it’s just a rumour; he did meet with Flowers but has no business with Mason. 

As for the rape charge the fact is once a minor-aged girl child is involved, the charge is unlawful carnal knowledge, or as it is now known, unlawful sexual intercourse. If the child is younger than 14 the penalty the minimum 12 years in jail.  For rape, the minimum penalty is 8 years. 

In cases like these, the attorneys usually apply for an expedited bail hearing, and so all goes well for Mark Flowers, he should be getting out of jail by Friday; since that is the day the Supreme Court usually hears bail applications.