AFTER being sentenced to a total of 85 years in prison for four counts of rape, Jegede Hodge is challenging his conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal.
Jegede, 48, was sentenced in December 2019, by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, at the Georgetown High Court.

The first indictment stated that, between May 1, 2014 and May 31, 2014, in the county of Demerara, Hodge engaged in sexual penetration with a 13-year-old girl, a child who lived in the same house as he. He was sentenced to 18 years on that charge.
The second indictment stated that between September 1, 2014 and September 31, 2014, in the county of Demerara, Hodge engaged in sexual penetration with the same teen again. He was sentenced to 20 years on that charge.

The third indictment stated that between January 1, 2015, and January 31, 2015, in the county of Demerara, Hodge engaged in sexual penetration with the victim, when she was 14 years old. He was sentenced to 22 years on that charge.

Lastly, the fourth indictment stated that, between September 1, 2017, and September 31, 2017, in the county on Demerara, Hodge engaged in sexual penetration with the child, when she was 16 years old. He was sentenced to 25 years on that charge.

Justice Morris-Ramlall ordered that Hodge’s sentences run concurrently, which meant that he will only serve 25 years behind bars. Hodge was also ordered to undergo counselling.
Hodge’s attorneys, George Thomas and Everton Singh-Lammy, moved to the appeal court and filed an appeal to challenge their client’s conviction and sentence.
One of the grounds of the appeal was that the sentence was unfair, too severe and excessive.

Another ground stated that the counsel for Hodge, during trial at the High Court, failed to adequately mitigate the sentence.

A date is yet to be set for hearing at the Appeal Court.
The victim in her impact statement explained that the first time she was raped by Hodge, she wanted to commit suicide and began cutting herself.

However, on the second occasion, when she was raped by Hodge, she told her friends and begged them not to tell anybody.

She recalled being picked up from school by Hodge who took her to different locations and raped her.

The victim stressed that at one time her brother saw what Hodge was doing to her, and he became traumatized. Persons in the village also knew what Hodge was doing and would harass her.

Nevertheless, according to the victim, what hurt the most was her mother taking Hodge’s side and not her own daughter’s. The mother still shares a close bond with Hodge.
Hodge, during his address to the court, begged for leniency and apologised for the hurt he caused.

However, in his statement to the probation officer, Hodge stressed the victim fabricated the story and was forced by her father to do so.