That's the sentence that Justice Adolph Lucas handed him this afternoon at the conclusion of the mitigation hearing. You'll remember that about 2 weeks ago, a jury of 9 found him guilty of kidnapping a girl - who was 16 years-old at the time - at gunpoint. She testified that he forced her to enter his vehicle near the Pound Yard bus stop in Belize City. He then drove her to Ladyville, where he assaulted her, humiliated her, and forced her to perform sexual acts on him at gunpoint.

This morning, Crown Counsel Sherigne Rodriguez, read out an impact statement from the the victim. We are unable to get into specifics, but describing it generally, the victim said that she went through a period of depression, and she needed a lot of counseling to recover. She also said that it has severely affected her ability to cope with everyday situations, and that she becomes very nervous when anyone gets too close.

Vasquez and his attorney, Oscar Selgado, were given an opportunity to make a mitigation plea, but they completely refused to take advantage of the offer. Experienced legal minds suggest to us that this may indicate that Bert Vasquez could be preparing to appeal his conviction.

Justice Lucas then adjourned the case for a few hours, and when he returned, he outlined the aggravating factors he considered before arriving at the appropriate prison sentence. Among other things, he took into consideration that the offense was committed was a gun, the victim was a minor at the time, and that Vasquez showed no remorse.

The judge remarked that the maximum sentence for forceable abduction is 13 years in prison. Instead of going for the maximum, the judge sentenced him to 10 years in jail. In the case of the conviction for aggravated assault of an indecent nature, the judge gave him the maximum of 3 years.