Last Updated on September 24, 2022, 7:06 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The teenage boy found guilty of raping, buggering, and strangling a nine-year-old girl to death in 2018 has been sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after he has served the sentence of about 23 years and nine months.
Supreme Court Judge Justice Courtney Daye declared the sentence on Friday afternoon, describing the offences committed by the youngster as “horrific” According to the Supreme Court justice, the culprit allowed himself to be “overcome by this abnormal sexual passion towards a young child”.
Justice Daye said he went higher than the 20 years that were suggested to him by the Director of Public Prosecutions because of the “gravity ” of the offences, the age of the victim and the fact that the defendant showed little to no remorse for his actions.
Allegedly, the teenage boy sexually assaulted and killed the young girl with whom he shared an acquaintance after she accepted his invitation to pick apples as they walked home from school on June 5, 2018.
The teen used his knowledge of his nine-year-old neighbour and schoolmate’s love of fruits to lure, rape, bugger and smother her to death.
Her body was found near a guava tree, about 15-20 feet from the apple tree, where the teenager had allegedly lured her. A post-mortem report presented in court last week showed that the child died of asphyxia caused by manual strangulation. She also had lacerations of the vagina and anus.
For the offence of rape, the convict was sentenced to 18 years. For the buggery charge, the convict has been sentenced to 10 years. The prison terms will, however, run concurrently, making it so that he will spend the longest of the three sentences — 23 years and nine months.
Justice Daye credited the teen for the time spent in custody and the fact that residents of his community had indicated he was not violent. He said that despite those discounts, the aggravating factors were such that his recommended sentence ended at 23 years and nine months.
Those aggravating factors included his “insensitive conduct”, as he pretended not to know where the child was or what had become of her when asked and had denied being in her presence. Allegedly, the culprit was unresponsive and uncooperative in earlier interviews. Interviews conducted earlier this year quoted him stating that “He was not fearful of long prison sentences.”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
