A 22-year-old mason was, on Monday, sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping a 12-year-old girl in 2020.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the Demerara High Court.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard that Orvin Smith had previously served a 24-month sentence for two counts of break and enter and larceny.

He was also previously charged for rape of a minor, but the case was dismissed.

In his probation report, Smith admitted committing the offence but said he was unaware of the victim’s age at that time.

Meanwhile, the victim, in her statement, related that, at the age of 12 years, herself and Smith established a close relationship via telephone. She said that the relationship got serious when they began engaging in sexual activities.

According to her, they had sexual intercourse about four to five times at her home.

She said that she was unaware that a video of their sexual activities was created by Smith. She discovered its existence after it went viral.

After the release of the video, teen said “she felt embarrassed, sad and was depressed and on many occasions, she locked herself in her room and attempted suicide since she believed that her family and community members were aware of the video.”

Additionally, she refused to eat and would experience sleepless nights and her mind would often “wander away” during school sessions.

Fortunately, her academic performance was not badly affected. She was able to gain an average score at her examinations after the incident.

She asked the court to impose the “rightful penalty” on Smith so as to prevent similar occurrences.

In handing down his decision, Justice Kissoon considered the prevalence of such offences here in Guyana, and the fact that Smith took advantage of the closeness he shared with the victim and her family.

In addition to jail time, Smith will have to undergo counselling and enroll in courses offered by the prison service.