After three hours of deliberations, jurors reentered the courtroom yesterday evening with a unanimous verdict in the sex crimes trial of Andre Penn: guilty on 12 counts.
Mr. Penn, a former legislator, was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl of or under the age of 13, seven counts of indecent assault, and three counts of buggery.
The mood in Ms. Hariprashad-Charles’ courtroom was calm as the verdict was read.
Mr. Penn, who is also the brother of Deputy Premier Dancia Penn, was then transferred into the custody of guards from Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25, when he could face several years’ imprisonment for each count.
Mr. Penn is alleged to have engaged in various sexual acts, including oral, anal and vaginal sex, with a young relative of his wife between 2006 and 2008.
The acts are alleged to have taken place either in his office on Main Street in Road Town or at his Josiahs Bay home, with the first taking place when the girl was just shy of 10 years old, according to Director of Public Prosecutions Elizabeth Hinds.
A fourth count of buggery was dropped on the request of prosecutors Monday, and Ms. Hariprashad-Charles instructed jurors to return a verdict of not guilty on the charge at that time.
Mr. Penn pleaded not guilty to each of the charges and took the stand in his own defence on Friday afternoon, emphatically denying the allegations.
The full article appears in the March 3, 2011 issue.