FORMER TVG cameraman, Andre Hetsberger, who was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for rape of a child under 16, has appealed his sentence.

Appearing before Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire, Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, at the Appeal Court on Monday, Hetsberger and his counsel, Dexter Todd, presented the appeal.

The appeal was made on grounds that the jury was prejudiced towards Hetsberger, by returning with a guilty verdict without any evidence that he committed the act. Todd argues that there might have been a misunderstanding of section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act, since the jury’s verdict was solely based on what the victim claimed, with absence of evidence to attest.

He also noted that his client is not asking for a retrial or lesser sentence, but rather, they are seeking acquittal, since Hetsberger is innocent and there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

Hetsberger was in 2016, found guilty by a 12-member jury, and sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh. According to the reports, Hetsberger had sexually penetrated a child family member, aged 13, on October 17, 2014.

When he was handed the sentence, he knelt in the prisoner’s box with outstretched arms and said, “Why me Lord, not me Lord,” as he cried loudly.

He has maintained that he is innocent of the crime. The Court of Appeal has accepted the appeal and the hearing will commence on May 03, 2019, giving the State ample time to respond. The State is being represented by attorney Natasha Bakker.