Appeal
Defendant, following a jury trial, was convicted of 10 counts of rape in the second degree and one count of sodomy in the second degree for acts allegedly committed upon the victim between July 1996 and December 1997. At the jury trial in September 1998, the People introduced evidence from the female victim, who was 13 years old at the time of trial, defendant’s wife, to whom the victim revealed defendant’s sexual contact, and a gynecologist who recounted statements of the victim obtained from her during the course of his examination. As a result of these convictions, defendant was sentenced to consecutive indeterminate terms of imprisonment of 2 Vs to 7 years for each conviction. Defendant now appeals.
Defendant asserts that the People introduced no evidence to support a conviction with respect to three counts of the indictment although not specifying which counts he challenges. A review of the record reveals that defendant’s arguments are addressed to counts 8 and 10 of the indictment and to testimony concerning another uncharged incident. In opposition, the People assert that these claimed errors are unpreserved for appellate review since defendant made no specific motion for a trial order of dismissal with respect to the charged incidents, nor did defendant object to County Court’s charge which included the submission of two of these three incidents for the jury’s consideration.
To preserve a question of law regarding a ruling of the trial court, some express or implied request or protest is necessary (see, CPL 470.05 [2]; People v Starling,
The evidence in support of the rape in the second degree charged in count 8 consists of the victim’s testimony that “he did the same thing.” In the context of the trial, this testimony was elicited from the victim immediately after she had testified to the details of the rape in the second degree charged by count 7 and the details of the unindicted incident. While it is clear that this testimony does not directly support each and every element of rape in the second degree, it is logical to conclude that the jury interpreted the victim’s testimony to mean that defendant had raped her in the precise manner described only moments earlier (see, People v Bleakley,
We next examine defendant’s contention that he was denied a fair trial by prosecutorial misconduct and the admission of certain evidence. Defendant’s claims regarding prosecutorial misconduct during the People’s opening and closing statements are unpreserved for appellate review since objections were not made at the time of the alleged errors (see, People v Utley,
Next, except for counsel’s failure to move to dismiss counts 5 and 10 of the indictment for legal insufficiency, there is no merit to defendant’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. A defendant is entitled to effective, meaningful representation (see, People v Baldi,
Finally, we address defendant’s argument that reversal is mandated since the record does not demonstrate that he was allowed to attend a hearing held pursuant to People v Sandoval (
Crew III, J. P., Graffeo, Rose and Lahtinen, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is modified, on the law, by reversing so much thereof as found defendant guilty on counts 5 and 10 of the indictment; said counts of the indictment are dismissed; and, as so modified, affirmed.
