Arguing among other things that High Court judge, Roxane George-Wiltshire SC, admitted prejudicial evidence during his trial for the rape a young girl, Sean Trotman is appealing both his conviction and the 45-year sentence.
Listing the grounds on which he is appealing, Trotman contends that Justice George-Wiltshire did not only err in law in admitting prejudicial evidence into evidence, but that her “ruling is against the weight of the evidence,” as well.
He is also of the view that the sentence she imposed upon him was excessive.
Apart from these grounds, the appellant has indicated in his notice of appeal, that he intends to add more grounds at a later stage.
Following his conviction by a jury back in 2015 on two counts of raping a child under the age of 16, Justice George-Wiltshire sentenced Trotman to 20 years in prison on the first count of and 25 years on the second—ordering that the sentences run consecutively.
The jury returned a proportionate guilty verdict of 10 to 2 on the first count of rape but was unanimous on the second count.
“I will have to sentence you to long years in jail,” the judge had told the convict.
In her reprimand to Trotman at the time of sentencing, the now acting chief justice had told Trotman that he had breached a position of trust, adding that the two charges against him meant that the “victim was continuously under threat.”
The crimes were committed in January, 2013 and March, 2014, according to the indictments.
Trotman’s appeal will be coming up for hearing at the Guyana Court of Appeal, before acting Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory, on January 14th of the New Year.
He is being represented by Attorney-at-Law, Madan Kissoon.
