“I HAVE nothing to say your honour,” were the words of Rodney Kertizous on Thursday afternoon, after a 12-member Jury found him guilty of rape of a child.

The unrepresented man was charged for engaging in sexual activity with a one-year-old child on July 27, 2017.

Because of the nature of this matter, other particulars of this offense cannot be disclosed.

Before serving him with the maximum sentence of life imprisonment, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow said that this case is troubling because the child was left in his care and he abused his position of trust. Among the aggravating factors, he performed the activity in the presence of other children who are now left with that image in their minds, Justice Barlow said.

Labeling this case one of the “worse of the worst,” the judge said that the message has to be sent to society that such actions are unacceptable and imposed upon him life imprisonment, not eligible for parole until he has served 25 years. There were no mitigating factors to be considered. The judge also ordered that he be exposed to programmes facilitated in the prison for persons serving time for sexual offenses. The state was represented by Seeta Bishundial.