A 19-year-old young man was on Tuesday sentenced to two years imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old boy in 2015.

The teen was sentenced by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow in the Sexual Offences Court at the Demerara High Court, after being found guilty on two counts of rape three weeks ago by a 12-member jury.

He was found guilty of engaging in sexual penetration twice with a child who is under the age of consent, between December 1, 2015, and December 24, 2015. The accused was 14 years old when he committed the offence.

The trial was conducted in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act, since the defendant was a juvenile when he committed the act.

He was represented by attorney-at-law Folio Richards, while the state was represented by prosecutor Teriq Mohamed.

According to the prosecution, the defendant is known to the victim and during the period in question, he asked the child to suck his penis.

The victim refused, but the accused forced the child’s mouth open and inserted his penis. He subsequently committed the act again.

In his address to the court, the teen explained that he believed that the case was to teach him a lesson and has brought him closer to God.

Justice Barlow explained that she noticed that there is a trend with young persons committing sexual offences and for the January session alone, she had dealt with three similar matters.

She urged that the court needs to send a strong message to young people that such actions cannot be condoned.

According to the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA), such offences carry a maximum penalty of five years.

As such, the teen was sentenced to one year and six months for the first count and two years for the second.

However, the sentences will run concurrently and the teen will serve only two years.
Justice Barlow also ordered that the teen undergo counselling for young sex offenders while in prison.

Also, one week after his release from prison, he has to report to the Probation Department, Ministry of Social Protection for counselling and supervision.

He was also ordered to enrol in the skills-training programme which is provided by the said ministry, whereby he can learn a trade and gain employment. If he fails to adhere to the court’s orders, he will be imprisoned for one year.