A man who sexually abused a young girl on multiple occasions has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty before the High Court, according to Antigua.news.
The sentence was handed down on Wednesday, just one day after the defendant entered his guilty plea — a decision that spared the child from reliving her ordeal through a full trial.
The convicted man had been in a romantic relationship with the victim's mother and had gone so far as to sign the child's birth certificate, listing himself as her father. That position of trust did not prevent him from carrying out a series of disturbing acts against the girl.
Between late 2022 and mid-2023, the eight-year-old stayed with the man at a property where he worked as a caretaker. It was there that he raped her, then threatened to beat her if she told her mother. He went on to commit further sexual acts against the child on at least two additional occasions.
The abuse came to light in August 2023 when the child's mother noticed something was wrong with her daughter. After speaking with the girl, the full extent of the abuse was revealed.
Alongside the twelve-year sentence for rape, the judge imposed two additional five-year terms for serious indecency. All three sentences will run concurrently.
Under Antigua and Barbuda's Sexual Offences Act, the offence of rape carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
