PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jun 23 2017 – A High Court judge has sentenced a 50-year-old father of four to 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of having sex with one of his daughters.
The man, whose name is not being disclosed, had been found guilty in April after he pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault, two counts of grievous sexual assault and attempted incest.
But Justice David Harris Thursday said the sentence imposed on the man had to reflect the court’s abhorrence and serve as a deterrent to people thinking about committing similar acts.
He said that the most serious of five offences against the father was attempted incest, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The judge said that the single parent had betrayed the trust between father and daughter.
The court heard that the father began sexually interfering with his daughter on March 31, 2008, when she was 15 and it continued until October 2009. Most of the acts took place on the child’s bed when her sisters were not around. The children’s mother did not live with them.
During the trial, however, the girl, now 24-years-old, refused to give evidence, saying that she was trying to rekindle her relationship with her father for the sake of her daughter.
However, in passing sentence Justice Harris said the victim’s compassion for her bread-winning father, the passage of a mere 10 years or the father’s admirable traits cannot change the facts and gravity of the offences.
He noted that there were several aggravating factors in relation to the offences, noting the only mitigating factor, the judge said, was the absence of violence.
Defence attorney Ramesh Deena said that the father was working, took care of his children financially and had no previous convictions or pending matters. But the judge said the father showed no remorse.
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