A North West District resident, who came to the city to seek employment but was caught red-handed molesting a schoolgirl under the age of 15, will now work for the state, in prison, for the next three-and-a-half years.
Terry Hollingsworth also called `Spoonhead’, 41, was gainfully employed as a labourer at Bounty Farm, Timehri when he committed the act on March 1, last.
He was charged with sexual activity with a child under the age of 15, contrary to Section 11.1 (a) of the Sexual Offences Act No 7 of 2010, pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison when he made an initial appearance before Magistrate Leslie Sobers.
At his in-camera trial last week, the prosecution led evidence from a witness who saw the accused committing the act.
But it was after the young victim completed her evidence-in-chief that the accused declined to cross-examine her but requested of the court that he be allowed to say something.
Hollingsworth then said all that the girl said was true, that he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the act by dragging the girl from her school into a nearby church building. The accused subsequently apologised to both the court and the victim before changing his plea to guilty.
A medical certificate tendered on behalf of the child showed that while she was not penetrated, she nevertheless sustained bruises on her body from the floor on which she was placed.
Magistrate Sobers, in noting the trauma the child underwent by being molested, sentenced Hollingsworth to three years, six months jail time.
Child molester jailed
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