…eligible for parole after 25 years

YOGANAND Ramnarine who was accused of the rape of a three-year old girl, who was left in his care while her mother went to face a bereavement, will now have a long time to reflect on his unforgivimg behaviour.

Justice Jo Ann Barlow made it known that she will not condone any such action, especially on a child of that tender age, when she imposed a life sentence on the 22-year-old year old, at the Berbice Assizes on Monday afternoon.
‘The Court is society’s voice and I am sending a strong message to would-be persons with similar behaviour. You will not be eligible for parole until you have served 25 years,” the judge stipulated..

During the  three-day trial, the unrepresented labourer, had  pleaded not guilty to the  rape indictment, which stated that  on  April 17, 2015, at Number 60 Village, Corentyne, Berbice,  he engaged in sexual penetration of a girl under 16 years of age.
At his sentencing the judge remarked, “The jury says you are guilty.. The law prescribes the maximum penalty, which is life imprisonment. The Court is of the view for a young man to have done such a thing, something had to be wrong somewhere. My only recourse is to send you to a place where your life will be transformed and that you live a meaningful life’.
In highlighting his family issues which were raised during the trial, Judge Barlow said: If you were having difficulty with getting sex with your wife, you should have gotten the consent of another adult. The child was trembling and crying when she was rescued…a traumatic experience.’