Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall yesterday sentenced a Berbice man to 11 years in prison for the rape of a woman in 2018.
Anthony Myers, 40, was sentenced yesterday after he entered a guilty plea at the High Court in Berbice for the offence committed on December 10, 2018.
The accused was represented by attorney-at-law, Surihya Sabsook, while the state was represented by attorney- at-law, Tuanna Hardy.
The court heard from prosecutor Hardy that the victim was 56 years old at the time of the incident and was walking home when the accused passed her on a bicycle and then forced her to engage in sexual acts.
The matter was reported to the police station and the accused was later arrested and placed before the court.
The victim, who was a domestic worker, told the court that she is now 58-years-old. She said the rape left her feeling ashamed, violated, and frightened, and to some extent she blamed herself.
According to the woman, following the incident, if she had to go out and return home late, she would run through her street to get home faster.
However, she noted that she now tries to get over that fear by taking “precautions to safeguard yourself” such as using a taxi to get home.
According to the woman, initially she felt vengeful but the accused’s wife, employer, and two colleagues, approached her and asked that she forgive him.
However, she stressed that she could not just forget what he did because “I’m not the only person that he does this to.”
The woman told the court that she now wants to “get on” with her life, adding, that she is also fearful that the accused may hold “malice in his mind for me.”
The woman added, “If he has to get sentence I’m not looking for a long, long sentence whatever the judge decides I’m okay with that because I just want to get on with my life.”
Prosecutor Hardy in closing, stated that it was a cowardly and wicked act which still affects the victim. “Your Honour, the sentence must reflect the nature and gravity of this act and must send a message to protect the vulnerable in our society. The sentence should deter this accused and others from taking advantage of the elderly,” the prosecutor stressed.
Meanwhile, attorney Sabsook asked the court for leniency and mercy to be exercised, noting that her client is aware of the trauma he caused the victim.
While the accused, who held up a picture of his one-year-old daughter, told the court via Zoom that he is a family man and a father of three and was arrested while his wife, who is now unemployed, was pregnant. “Ah begging yuh…” he implored, noting that he could not make it in prison any longer.
The judge before issuing her sentence emphasised that the nature of the offence must be considered because a woman was violated in the dark of the night and she was coerced to perform unnatural acts.
She said she also took into consideration the impact statement from the virtual complainant who is still evidently much affected by what she endured, the plea and mitigation from the accused’s lawyer, as well as the address made by the accused where there was no expression of remorse but only concern about the plight of incarceration.
The judge started the sentence at 20 years but deducted 7 years for the guilty plea, 1 year and 8 months for time spent in remand and two months for the plea and mitigation from the lawyer and address from the accused.
She then sentenced the accused to a term of imprisonment of 11 years.
