A man in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been jailed for 33 years, 10 months and 18 days for four counts of rape, four counts of incest and one count of indecent assault against his daughter, who was 6 or 7 years old when he first violated her when he was 49.
The man’s crimes took place between June 2017 and December 2021 and the child was 10 years old when a report was made on her behalf against her father, with whom she was living at the time.
Justice Brian Cottle handed down the sentence on the man at High Court No. 1, on Wednesday, the end of his 17-year career as a judge.
The child recounted that at about age 6 or 7, while in Grade 3, her father went into the bedroom she shared with her sister, woke her up and told her to follow him into his bedroom.
When they got there, he instructed her to take off her clothes and lie on the bed, which she did.
The man then proceeded to have sex with the child.
After the act, he told her to put back on her clothes and go back to the bedroom and not tell anyone.
The child complied.
The man did the same thing to the girl sometime after the volcanic eruption of April 2021, when the child was about 9 years old.
She was sleeping with her sister when he instructed her to follow him to his bedroom, which she did.
However, in addition to raping his daughter, on this occasion, the father sucked her breasts, kissed her, sucked her vagina, and had her perform fellatio on him.
Then, one morning after Christmas, while the child was watching television in the living room, the father approached her and asked her if she wanted to have sexual intercourse.
The child told him no, but he begged her, “Please. Please. Please.” and told her that
he would give her anything she wanted.
The child followed her father into the bedroom and he had sex with her.
Then, on the morning of May 10, 2022, the man gave his daughter some chores, which included hanging out her and her sister’s clothes and cleaning her room.
When the child was finished, the man asked her if she wanted to have sexual intercourse and she said yes.
She then went onto the bed in the living room and took off her clothes. He then had sex with the child there.
Later that morning, the child confided in her best friend about what had happened between her and her father.
During the lunch break that day, they both went to their former class teacher’s classroom and the child told the teacher that her father usually had sexual intercourse with her, the last time being that very morning.
The teacher reported the matter to the principal who then reported it to a senior education officer, who instructed the principal to report it to the police, which was done.
As part of their investigation, the police took the child to a health facility, where a medical examination revealed an absent hymen and vaginal discharge indicative of a sexual infection.
The man faced a maximum of five years for indecent assault, life imprisonment (a notional sentence of 30 years) for unlawful sexual intercourse (USI) with a girl under the age of 13 and 40 years for incest.
In arriving at his sentence, Justice Cottle noted that the man had no previous convictions for offences of a sexual nature.
On the first of the four counts of USI with a girl under the age of 13, the judge established a starting point of two-thirds of the maximum sentence or 20 years in prison.
Justice Cottle noted the significant age disparity between the man and his victim, she being 6 or 7 years old at the time and he 49 years.
The court said there was abuse of a position of trust, the man took steps to encourage the child not to report the offence, and she was under the age of 10.
Aggravating of the offence was that the girl lived with her father, where her mother had left her. Further, the pre-sentencing reports spoke of the traumatic effect of the man’s crimes on his daughter. She had issues trusting other people and felt sad and lonely. Additionally, ejaculation had occurred.
Mitigating of the offence was that there was no gratuitous violence.
On each of the other four counts of USI, the judge noted that the practice direction issued by the chief justice indicated that where more than one offence is committed in the same transaction or arises out of the same facts, they can be sentenced together.
However, where the offences are committed on separate dates, the sentences should be consecutive.
The judge applied the totality principle, and after deducting the time spent on remand, sentenced the man to 21 years, 10 months and 18 days on the first count of USI.
On each of the other three counts, he was ordered to serve two years in prison, consecutive to each other.
This means that for raping his daughter, the man will serve 27 years, 10 months and 18 days in prison.
On the incest charges, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the first count and one year each on the other three counts, to run consecutive to each other, but concurrent with the sentence for USI.
On the indecent assault charge, the man was sentenced to three years in prison, to run concurrent to the sentences for USI.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Karim Nelson represented the Crown while Grant Connell was defence counsel.
The law should permit chemical castration for anyone found guilty of incest.The law must not only be seen to be done. Regina v Sussex is the law .that established thar principle.
This guy should be jailed for life. This up and down, plus and minus with jail time is terrible. Most criminals are using this technique before and when committing crimes
He should not go to jail and live happy on taxpayers money
That child is forever a damage good . What makes matters worse is that the country lack the resources to hire psychologist yo address those matters. As a father I felt like vomiting just to read what happened to that little child. A father’s role is to nurture his child and to protect her. My wife once told my of an incident where a father abused his daughter sexually after the passing of ghe mother. She became suicidal.
I totally agree with you 💯
“The man” has been convicted and sentenced, so why is this man’s name not mentioned anywhere in this story?
Because mentioning his name will also disclose the identity of his victim.
Damn sure it’s not a first for him just that he was reported this time and what this crap about sex with a child under 13,, even if she was 13 she is a child..
People like those scars children for life and should stay in Prison till the 12th of never…
What a man who will scoop so low as to destroy his own child life. Saudi Arabia has a way to deal with this phenomenon. That is execution. Where is the church in all of this? Being silent, this begs the question as to whether or not the churches in St vincent has betrayed its principles. Silence my brother is complacent. If ghe chuch does use it’s pulpit to address these issues. It is not dealing with ghe reality of the whole man. That is man with his psychological and physical needs.
Kenton when I read this I get sick to my stomach. I know you as a reporter must report the news as it happens. However, you must caution the reader in advance that this story is potential sickening and may upsetting. The the reader can choose to continue or not to read your narrative. It is just a suggestion. This is where Iwitness news falls down. Some readers have a high tolerance for this but for me it made me sick. A bit of warning will be helpful and I wish to hear your side with respect for the need for caution.
Fair reporting v the need to be graphic in your reporting of a criminal matter. How do you balance the two v the need to warn your readers that some may find it disgusting or even distasteful. What do Kento Chance has to say on the matter.
Kenton two contributors to this story addressed the issue of caution but you ignore the request as demanded and choose to display ostrich syndrome.
Oh please, which church?!!. When these same leaders in church doing the same thing.
C
Even the warning that the information may be sensitive and distasteful to some readers will be incentive for some readers to read it. Can’t please everyone. Leave Mr. Chance alone. Anyone could stop reading when they see where the story is heading.
Buyers beware, Church leaders remain silent in matters invplving need to speak out against incestuous behavior. The pulpit remains the one area where it is not use as a foroum for change. Least we for a Junior Constable a police officer was indited in the alleged rape of a sunday school child for which her only crime was to drop her home in the Sunday school bus. The alleged crime was never addressed. Although the matter is before the courts or sub-juice. However, the pulpit should be used as an agent of change.
Dee you are real moron to the highest degree and it shows that your elevator does not go all the way it stops some where in between. You sound like Donald in suggesting that one can prevent the eyes from seeing and therefore concluded that one should stop reading. At what a nincompoop.
I congratulate Kenton for publishing all comments even though some are calling for his head. While there is a duty to warn readers that some may find the article offensive. The duty to warn readers is a consionaable proposition . I will ask Kenton to reconsider readers request, given that it is readers who make the newspaper relevant and viable. One cannot be so blinded not to be able to see or too deaft to hear and realise the truth.