55 year Oliver Arthurs will spend 12 years in prison after he was convicted of attempt carnal knowledge in the Dangriga Supreme Court yesterday. It was alleged that he attempted to have sexual intercourse with a 10 year-old female minor in Independence Village.
According the testimonies in the trial before Justice Troadio Gonzalez, the minor was playing in the yard with her female cousin on June 3, 2011.
Arthurs reportedly called the child into his home which was nearby, but the child went along with her cousin. Arthurs then chased the cousin out of the house, and placed a piece of board behind the door to trap her inside.
He then raped her.
The child told the court that Arthurs let her go and promised her money and candy if she didn't tell her mother. She did just that and her mother then went to confront Arthurs, but she couldn't find him until 4 days later.
The mother testified that when she confronted him, Arthurs admitted to it, and as a result, she made a police report, which led to his arrest.
The doctor testified that the child was not carnally known, but he did find bruising consistent with sexual contact.
Arthurs was unrepresented, and he chose to remain silent when it was his chance to defend himself.
A jury of 6 women and 3 men deliberated for 45 minutes and came back with a guilty verdict around 3:30 p.m.
Justice Gonzalez handed him his sentence that exact evening after Arthurs again chose to remain silent. Arthurs will spend 12 years because he is a first time offender, and there are no other aggravating factors against him.
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