An assistant pastor was, on Thursday, jailed for 30 years — a life sentence — for raping a female member of his congregation three times when she was between age 5 and 7.
Delroy Fraser, 43, faced a maximum of 30 years on each of the three counts of rape that a nine-member jury, which included six females, unanimously convicted him of the crime last week Tuesday, July 14.
He was convicted after a trial in which he opted to not testify and called no witnesses in his defence.
Instead, he relied on an interview with the police in which he denied having committed the offences.
Delroy Fraser, 43, a father of five, committed the crimes between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2016 in Canouan.
Fraser, who is originally from Barrouallie, was the assistant pastor at a church where the child and her mother fellowshipped in Canouan.
He committed his crimes against the child when he took her — along with his own infant daughter — to the beach with her mother’s consent.
Fraser would place his own child on the beach when he took his victim, now 11 years old, into the sea where he performed the vile acts on her.
The child told the court that as she grew taller, Fraser took her further into the sea to facilitate his sex crime.
In the trial, the court heard that Fraser was a close friend of the child whose mother trusted him to take care of the child during their beach trips.
Fraser had threatened the child, telling her that something worse would happen if she told anyone.
Even during the period when he was violating the child, Fraser visited her house where he would sit, eat, laugh and interact with her family.
However, one day, during a sermon, a preacher prophesied that someone on the altar would be exposed.
This gave the child the courage to report the crime to her mother.
The pastor of the church was told of the child’s report and the cleric summoned a meeting of the church leaders.
Fraser was invited to respond to the child’s claim but did not explicitly deny her allegation.
The pastor reported the matter to the police who launched an investigation.
As part of the investigation, a medical examination of the child’s vagina found signs of “significant physical trauma”, Justice Brian Cottle said in summarising the fact of the case.
The signs were consistent with sexual assault multiple times over a protracted period.
In his sentencing remarks at High Court No. 1 in Kingstown, Justice Cottle said that at the trial the child impressed the court “as a very intelligent, articulate young lady”.
He said he hopes and prays that “the almost unspeakable crimes which she has had to endure would not destroy a person who shows so much promise at such an early age”.
In a victim impact statement, the child told the court that she had been shattered emotionally and has had to endure the suffering for such a long time partly because she feared for the safety of her mother.
She said that she had contemplated suicide, having had to endure graphic flashbacks and nightmares.
The experience had forced her to lose trust in all men, the victim said.
Justice Cottle noted that Fraser knew that the child was growing up without a father in her household, adding that Fraser should have been filling that role but, rather, abused her in the worst way possible.
The judge said that in addition to the child’s physical and psychological scars, Fraser assaulted her spiritually as she spent a lot of time in church and her faith is important to her.
He said it was largely because of the child’s faith and the support she has received from her church community that helped her to overcome the impact of Fraser’s predatory behaviour.
“By violating her, the prisoner robbed her of her innocence,” Justice Cottle said, adding that the child had suffered a grievous wrong which can never be corrected.
In analysing the aggravating features of the case, the court noted that the complainant was between 5 and 7 years old, three decades younger than her assailant.
Justice Cottle said he found that the case involved extreme physiological harm, adding that because of the age difference and the fact that the child was less than 10 years old, he placed the offence in the high category — in that it resulted in extreme psychological harm.
He also said that there was abuse of trust, noting that Fraser was a family friend and the assistant pastor at the complainant’s church.
The court found that there was a degree of planning in the assaults and that the child was also threatened.
He noted that the crime was carried out in the presence of the defendant’s young child.
Justice Cottle said that while the defendant’s child was young, the child would have appreciated that something strange was befalling the complainant.
The court also found that the complainant was especially vulnerable, in light of her age.
The court concluded that the aggravating feature of the crime outweighed the mitigating features, and adjusted the starting point of 20 years upwards by three years.
The judge deducted one year for the mitigating features of the offender, he being a first time offender.
This left the court with a sentence of 22 years on the first count.
The court further sentenced Fraser to five years on the second count and three years on the third count and ordered that the sentences run consecutively.
He said that the sentences for count two and three were significantly lower because of the totality principle, which says that the total sentences should reflect the overall criminality.
Totality principle nonescense…different time , different emotional trauma..You try having having a lacerated vagina or a badly scarred one from a prior abuse and then being raped again…It worst than the previous time because you creating new cuts and ripping open old scars.
He should have had 20 yearsfyears each incident
Sick, sick, sick! If Delroy Fraser is indeed guilty as the Court have found him, this man has done his and the Church generally much and great harm, and perhaps he could now find the time to repent while inside prison. Perhaps also he had never known God at all and that he had never repented in the first place, who knows! Was he truly a servant of the Lord? Did he understand his Bible at all?
https://gfmanchester.com/ultimate-questions-by-john-blanchard-read-online
As we read our Bible we learn this “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will”. 2 Timothy 2: V: 24-26. How had Delroy Fraser lived?
https://www.metropolitantabernacle.org/Sermons-on-2-Timothy/Biblical-Approach-to-Preaching
Therefore, in view of the above, if Delroy Fraser is indeed truly guilty of such vile actions, let us hope that the Lord gives him a complete change of outlook and change of mind? All for him is in the hands of God!
I hope he never see the light of day again.
90% of children are abuse by their father or family members in svg, I hope they find them all, the government and police are guilty of lots of raping too, Delriy did not rape that child ,I hope that Hod will reveal the truth before he waste his precious time in jail. I know this young man he is my cousin and I am certain that he is innocent. This child has been trained. God is watching.
were you always with him?
This is the problem in this country when you poor you get get the right sentence. If it was a big fat politician the matter would of never reach to court. Mr Fraser what you have done to that child words can’t express and l will not say anything in your defense but may the Lord grant you the opportunity to repent. But before you can do that you must apologize to this blessed child and ask her forgiveness poblicly and pray for her everyday for the 30 years sentence.
He is a monster i wish he did get more years in jail
This is wicked and such an evil criminal act on a very young child who the mother trusted. Never ever trust no man with your child especially a girl child he should have gotten more time 30 years its not enough. I am so angry reading about what this evil man did to this child, and mothers not because these men are in church you have trust them they are still men. Do not send your young children anywhere with no one also check his child to you never know.
Rose, I agree with you and hope that he does not see the light of day. I do hope that he is WELL-TAKEN care of as often as possible by his mates for his duration of time in prison. By the way Mr. Delroy Fraser, is this the first child you had done this to over a lonnnnnnnnng time? Is your wife a nurse? I am just asking for a friend.
Nasty just like the pope them,too much christephenes giving trouble all over the world,more will strike again.
Never trust anyone with your daughter or son. It doesnt matter who him or her is. This pastor is a clear example.he never know God and he hold on to evil.
Kenton chance wat the hell is going on with you. Why you did not print my post
It’s easy to say something.. because we have a mouth… Infact the moment we hear something it’s almost like we rather what we hear to be true than false.. we create and recreate ways to say things we are not sure about… I don’t know this guy… And I don’t know what is said about him is the truth.. or if it is false… But what I do know is people are in prison for things they have not done.. I know this because I live the life B4 I know this as a first hand information… Magistrate and judges try to please the public instead of being fair… There is one law for the rich and an other for the poor….. I don’t judge people by the way they look… Hope this allegation way not true… Or if it is true I hope that young girl get to live as normal as possible….
Corcelle, your cousin was found guilty by a jury of his peers, he was guilty as hell. Being your cousin is no excuse. He should be punished to the full extent of the law. Whether or not other children are abused by their fathers in Vincy is no excuse and should never be condoned and should send a warning to would be abusers as a deterrent. Just question Corselle, were you ever been abused by him? Do you swear to tell us the truth and nothing but the truth?