Senior Crown Counsel Valston Graham lamented the fact that incest only carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison during last Thursday’s sentencing hearing for a man who pleaded guilty to raping his daughter.
The man, a Jamaica native whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, was arrested in September 2013 for forcing his daughter to have sex with him and threatening to kill her if she told anyone. He was charged with three counts of incest and three counts of indecent assault for allegedly groping her breasts and raping her multiple times between 2009 and 2013.
Pointing out that an offender can get a life sentence for committing a similar crime in the United Kingdom, Mr. Graham said that it’s “unbelievable” that this territory’s laws aren’t stronger in order to protect children.
The prosecutor also said that the fact that indecent assault also carries a 10-year maximum penalty here further shows that Virgin Islands laws are skewed.
See the May 28, 2014 edition for full coverage.