yesterday told how he would always feel responsible for her death.

But Rick Meens, who had his daughter Jasmine and Rebecca staying with him in Bermuda in July 1996, said it was time that other people, including Former Attorney General Elliott Mottley and now Director of Public Prosecutions Khamisi Tokunbo, owned up to their serious errors.

At The Commission of Inquiry into Serious Crimes on the Island yesterday, he said as Rebecca's guardian at the time he had to accept responsibility for what had happened.

But he claimed both Mr. Mottley and Mr. Tokunbo, who were both instrumental in the prosecution of the case, had also made grave mistakes.

"I feel a lot of guilt. I carry that responsibility every day,'' said Mr.

Meens, who lives in the Knapton Hill area.

"I have to be man enough to admit that. This whole situation has been trying on me and my family.

"But Mottley and Tokunbo should not be allowed to deny their mistakes. It is continuing denial.'' On the night Rebecca was raped, tortured and stabbed to death, the two girls had been to Harbour Nights in St. George's.

They had made three calls to get a taxi home, but each of them never arrived.

In desperation and in fear of getting into trouble for being late home, they decided to accept lifts on two bikes from three boys they met.

Jasmine made it back home safely on the back of one bike. Rebecca was taken to Ferry Reach where she was butchered to death.

Yesterday, Mr. Meens said he had often thought about what might have been, but said he had never expected the girls to come to harm in somewhere as safe as Bermuda.

He added: "I did what I was supposed to do as a responsible parent. I did my utmost. The girls knew their boundaries, but kids will be kids.

"I took them to the beach and brought them back again. I took them to town and brought them back again. I took them to dinner and brought them back.'' But during his testimony, Mr. Meens said he could not understand why Mr.

Mottley and Mr. Tokunbo had taken the decisions they had over how to prosecute.

Suspect Kirk Mundy admitted having consensual sex with Rebecca but accused his younger friend Justis Smith of the murder.

Mr. Meens said the version of events given by Mundy, who was on bail for armed robbery at the time, made no sense whatsoever.

However, Mundy was only charged with accessory after the fact, while his co-accused was charged with pre-meditated murder on the basis of Mundy's statement.

When DNA evidence finally came back, everything pointed to Mundy, but experts said it would have probably taken two people to commit the crime -- one person to hold her down, while the other inflicted the wounds.

"I have two major questions,'' said Mr. Meens.

"What physically happened to Becky that night, and why did the Bermuda justice system let one rapist and two murderers walk free.'' He said the Police and prosecutors knew that Rebecca had been punched in the face, had received 27 torture wounds, had bruising to her hands and vagina, had her throat cut, and had her bra and shirt cut off with a knife.

He added: "Is this what you would call consensual sex? "I can't really believe how anyone can understand that. It's a matter of common sense that physical evidence would not exist had she consented to sex.

It does prove that she was raped.

"I don't have a legal degree, but what puzzles me is that when you take these facts and look at them, it astounds me that anybody could think this child had consensual sex.

"The original prosecutors Elliott Mottley and Khamisi Tokunbo testified that they trusted Kirk Mundy -- the question is why? "They already knew he was a criminal...he obviously had an obvious reason to lie.

"Why did Elliott Mottley and Khamisi Tokunbo not at least charge Kirk Mundy with rape when all the evidence proved that Rebecca was raped? "Why has Khamisi Tokunbo, now he is Director of Public Prosecutions, not charged him with rape.

"Is Mr. Tokunbo's bad judgment in the Middleton case going to follow him into the DPP? I certainly hope not.

"I would only suggest that you recommend that Mr. Tokunbo be given an experienced prosecutor as a mentor.'' Mr. Meens was originally told by chairman of the commission Justice Stanley Moore to keep his testimony based on his experiences as a victim of crime.

But the witness said he wanted to take the opportunity to vent his opinion.

He was allowed to do so and continued: "I can't understand why they prosecuted the way they did.

"Mr. Mottley (when giving evidence at the inquiry) referred to the fact that I had seen him a number of times in his chambers. We spoke about these matters.

"He constantly said he was going to try the two of them together (for murder).

"When Vic Richmond (Police Superintendent) called me and said Kirk Mundy would be going into the court in 20 minutes charged with accessory after the fact, I couldn't believe it. But he assured me this was the way we had to go.

"He said `he didn't do it -- Justis Smith did it'.

"It's up to the Commission to analyse everything that has gone on in this inquiry, not just with Rebecca's case, but other cases that have been quoted.

"There is nothing this Commission can do to bring Rebecca back, so the purpose of the Commission is to ensure that it doesn't happen to another family.'' Mr. Meens, who formally identified Rebecca's body during the first day of the investigation, said the worst day of his life was having to telephone her mother Cindy in Canada to tell her that her daughter was dead.

Yesterday, he said he would not wish that on anyone.

He added: "Two people, and I know who those two people are, Kirk Mundy and Justis Smith, for what it's worth, viciously raped and murdered this child, beat her, cut her clothes off, inflicted 27 torture wounds, cut her throat -- for what? "These two were animals, nothing more, nothing less.

"I support Mr. Middleton's opinion -- take them to the gallows and string them up.''