A man charged with indecent assault, gained the sympathy of the court this morning when he declared that the virtual complainant had lied about her age and he did not do anything that she did not want.
The man, an Antiguan residing in Dominica, appeared at the High Court of Justice this morning where he was given a light sentence of six months imprisonment.
According to the facts of the case, as presented by the state’s lawyer, on April 26, 2008 the 15-year-old girl was fetching water when she met the defendant.
She was carrying three bottles of water on her way home, when the accused offered his help. The young lady declined, but when he offered a second time she allowed him to help her to carry the bottles to her home.
At the time, the virtual complainant’s mother was at church and she was home alone. While at the house the virtual complainant began searching for boxes, according to what she told the accused. Consequently, he offered to help her in her search. During that time, the man had followed the virtual complainant to a bedroom. There, he asked her for a hug, and when she agreed he did not want to let go.
“He held her tightly and wouldn’t let go,” the lawyer stated. The virtual complainant pushed the man away. However, he pushed her onto the bed and removed her short pants and panties. According to the facts of the case, the accused inserted his penis into the girl’s vagina for a time and ejaculated into his hands.
“He wiped with a piece of napkin that was in a bowl in the bedroom and threw a $20.00 on her,” the state’s attorney said.
When Judge Cottle asked the accused what he had to say for himself he responded, “I never said it didn’t happen. They said we wrestled, it didn’t happen so … she asked me to give her money and I did,” he explained.
The accused had previously pleaded guilty to the charge.
“Mr [name provided] you have a young daughter?” Judge Cottle inquired. The court learnt that the accused man has two girls aged three and eight-years-old.
However, the accused maintained he was not aware that the virtual complainant was underage until a police officer assigned to the case informed him.
“She was lying to me about her age. She told me she was 16 then 17 … I found out she was lying,” he claimed.
While Judge Cottle admitted to believing the accused, he said he was obligated to sentence him because of his guilty plea. “The law of this land says if you have relationships with persons under 16 you have committed an offense … I’ll tell you why I believe you when you say the virtual complainant lied about her age. I notice from the medical report there was also no issue of forced [entry] … I also see that she didn’t refuse your advances, in fact she might have encouraged them,” Justice Cottle added.
He warned him to avoid very young females as seductive as they may be.
“Despite all that … you as the adult have to avoid these children … she may have misled you … she seemed to have encouraged your intentions but I still have to protect these children, even from themselves,” the judge stated.
In the name of man it’s a damn fame to listen to some of you all make those kind of comments
forgetting that we have a serious problem here on this Island
I know about mothers who are aware about the daughters bad habits but will not do anythings about because it puts food on the table.
You all are talking like a lot of those girls are God sent angels (angels rightttttttttt of the others kind yes)
Lets’ think about this, most home don’t have a father and if they do the man is always at work and after work hangs out with his friend talking …, so it’s left to the woman to raise the kids .
in a span of a year some of these women change two or tree boyfriends in the name of survival come on peoples,lets’ see how many bellies will pop up in September of this year in the name of Carnival casualties.
from there i will want to hear your comments then .
After residing on the island for the last 20 years, it has always been the same vicious circle.
My first question would be to the judge that made the decision to send this rapist to jail for 6 months. If this was the judge daugther would he still sentence this man to jail for 6 months for raping his daugher. If you law indicates 15 years old is a minor no matter if she took her clothes off she is still a MINOR. This man had the intension to rape this young lady when he keep insisting to help her and then enter her home than her room. Regardless if you are in Dominica or anywhere in the world, young children are always more develop than their age. The media incourages these you people to dress revealing their bodies. But, does this make it right to jugde them or rape them. The accused has two daughters, in years to come how would he feel for a grown man to do the same thing to his girls. I believe this young lady was push into a postion where this man took advantage of her. I hope in jail another man shows him how it feels to force someone against their own will.
Cry JUSTICE
@Sprinter: why would you castrate a man when he did not force entry her? She was obviously fine with sex.
In French Islands this thing would never even get to the court.
I AM A MAN AND I MUST SAY THAT THIS MAN BEHAVED AS A RAPIST. IF HE JUST WANTED TO HELP THE YOUNG GIRL HE WOULD NOT HAVE ENTERED HER HOME . HE SHOULD HAVE JUST DROP OFF THE WATER AND LIVE. BUT WE HAVE TO MANY CHILDREN PRETENDING TO BE OLDER THAN THEY ARE. THE TROUBLE IS TO MANY OF US FATHERS DONT TAKEUP RESPONSIBILITY. WE LIVE OUR CHILDREN TO BE RAISED BY ONLY THE MOTHERS MOST OF THE TIME AND SOMETIMES BY SOMEOTHER MAN WHO EVEN TURN AROUND AND MOLEST THEM SOMETIMES. I THINK ITS TIMME THAT WE GO BACK TO THE DAYS OF OLD WHERE CHILDREN WERE DEING RAISED BY BOTH PARENTS. CHILDREN ARE CHILDREN AND MUST BE TREATED AS SUCH. MOTHERS DONT ALLOW YOUR GIRLS TO DRESS UP AS IF THEY ARE SAME AGE WITH U OR AS IF THEY ARE PROSTITUTES. LETS ALLOW LESS INFLUENCE FROM TELEVISION AND LETS PUT THE WORD OF GOD BACK IN THE FRONT
This is a sad situation. Six months is definitely not enough time for such an offense; the man inserted his penis, withdrew and ejaculated and then threw $20.00 on the young girl. The man may not have known the girl was underage, but just the fact that he has daughters should have determined how he behaves with women. These men are just disgusting and weak and it is time that castration becomes the norm for such situations. If manhood seemed to be determined by the use of the penis, we should begin to devalue the power of the penis. Having said all of this, I also believe that parents should teach their children to be contented with what they are able to provide for them. This need for immediate gratification is what is causing both our men and women to sell themselves for mere dollar. I say men and women without the qualifying term sof young or old because the trend in our society seem to be that men and women on a whole believe they should use their bodies as a means of survival putting much of the population at risk as a result.
As a woman I have noticed in my trips to Dominica that the young girls – of school age, and sometimes in uniform – are becoming much more brazen. Some, not all, are loud, rude, behaving and acting much older than they are. In fact in some cases behaving and acting how a grown woman would not.
This needs to be addressed because too many children are becoming parents.
The gentleman in question should still have thought with his head and resisted. Does he not have a partner whom he was being unfaitful to?
Only six months??? That is almost rape… Well, well, well – should hv been Tiyani
Those men have to start respecting pple children.You were not sure of her age leave her alone.Them guys have to learn to leave pple children alone Why didnt u just walk away after you drop of the water for her,he had dat long to do the person child the damn rapist!
A hard dick will always get sweff people in trouble. He should have seen that the girl “may” be under age and leave her alone. The should have given him six years. Too much big bamboo men in Dca just spoiling people children and preventing them from getting a good husband. He have no shame either. He giving the person child $20.00 like she is a whore. He luck is not my child because it would have been murder she wrote. Vieux enviole from Antigua
I can imagine how emotional the defendant must have been…. feeling sorry for him, but we all have to learn form our mistakes. These young girls have so much tricks that’s why you have to be careful with them. She wanted the dick so she never refused the man entering inside her.