Last March, Alberto Ical was sentenced to 25 years in prison for rape and robbery. According to the victim's report, she was on her way to the Belmopan bus terminal, when Ical held her up at gun point and ordered her to take her clothes off, threatening to shoot if she did not comply. The victim said she did as she was told, and that is when Ical raped her in the nearby drain. She then allegedly that he stole her ring and $250.
Ical's sentence was to be served concurrently with sentences from two other rape convictions, however today Ical, represented by Anthony Sylvestre, had the initial decision overturned in the Court of Appeals. Sylvestre argued that during the trial, the alleged victim mentioned that she had seen photos of Ical at the police station, but when the defending attorney began to cross examine her about that point, the trial judge interjected and stopped him from continuing. The Appeals Judges were of the opinion that the cross examination should not have been stopped because it was crucial to Ical's defense.
While Ical is free from the 25 year sentence, he will remain in prison until 2018 for his two previous convictions.
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