A 21-year-old man of Linden was jailed on Thursday for 10 years for sexually abusing an underage girl.

Joshua Lawrence, a business administration student at the Government Technical Institute (GTI) pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was originally given a 15-year prison term by Demerara High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon.

However, the judge deducted one-third of the sentence (five years) for his early admission of guilt in accordance with established sentencing guidelines.

Lawrence sexually assaulted the 15-year-old girl twice: once between February 1 and February 28, 2021, and again between March 8 and March 9, 2021, according to the indictments.

The teenage girl and Lawrence are known to one another.

Lawrence’s father passed away when his mother was seven months pregnant, the court was informed through a probation report. At the age of three, his mother subsequently died.

Lawrence’s older sister and relatives had to take care of him as a result.

According to the probation officer, the convict showed “little remorse” for his wrongdoing.

Despite this, she came to the conclusion that he had a promising future in light of his GTI enrollment and success at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

In her closing remarks, the probation officer urged the court to give the criminal and survivour an “opportunity to heal”.

Lawrence ultimately received a 10-year prison term for each of the two charges. The jail sentences will run concurrently.

Justice Kissoon ordered the prison service to expose this sex offender to skill training in a field of his choosing in order to aid in his rehabilitation.

Attorney-at-Law Ronald Bostwick defended Lawrence while State Counsel Madana Rampersaud and Praneta Seeraj appeared on behalf of the prosecution.