MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A 54-year-old man who was found guilty of multiple sexual offences involving two young girls in Manchester is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19.
The man, whose identity has been withheld to protect the victims, was convicted by a seven-member jury last Thursday in the Manchester Home Circuit Court following a two-week trial before Justice Grace Henry McKenzie.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on three counts of sexual touching of a minor, four counts of grievous sexual assault, and three counts of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16.
Under Jamaican law, sexual intercourse with a person under 16 is a criminal offence separate from the charge of rape.
The court heard that the offences occurred between 2018 and 2019 at several locations across the parish. Prosecutors presented evidence indicating that the incidents took place at the man’s residence, at the homes of the children, and at an abandoned building.
Testimony during the trial revealed that some of the incidents allegedly occurred after the man picked up the girls from school or while he was caring for them on behalf of their parents.
The matter came to light in March 2019 when one of the girls, who was eight years old at the time, reportedly disclosed to her older sister that she had been sexually abused on more than one occasion. The sister then informed their mother, who contacted the parent of the other child.
The report led to a police investigation, and the accused man was subsequently arrested on March 22, 2019.
During the trial, the defendant denied the allegations. He claimed that the accusations were fabricated and alleged that the mothers of the children had instructed the girls to make the claims in order to gain control of a house he had been overseeing.
The prosecution was led by Crown counsels Alice-Ann Gabbidon and Nyron Wright, representing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The accused was represented by attorney-at-law Ashford Meikle.
Sentencing in the matter is set for May 19.
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