People v. Christmas

Defendant Kermit Christmas was charged by indictment with rape and was found guilty by a jury in the circuit court of Cook County. He was sentenced to imprisonment for from five to 15 years.

On appeal, his sole contention is that the trial court erred by impermissibly acting on the side of the prosecution by rehabilitating a prosecution witness who had been impeached by the defense.

While the defendant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to prove him guilty, a brief statement of facts is necessary to consider the examination of the witness by the court in context.

The complaining…