Belize City Man Remanded for Assault on Minor

Austin Gotoy

A fifty-five year old man is tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison where he will remain for the next seven weeks. Austin Gotoy was before the court today to answer to a charge of Aggravated Assault of an Indecent Nature upon a minor, a thirteen year-old primary school student who he knows well and who is accusing him of grabbing her rear. Gotoy was taken to court in handcuffs and he appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith. He pleaded not guilty to the offense, but the Chief Magistrate denied him bail and remanded him into custody at the Belize Central Prison until December twelfth, 2014. Additionally, records show that Gotoy owes the court so he will either pay the fine or serve a jail term.  His arrest follows an incident in the city in which the minor reported to police that on Thursday she was walking on Barracks Road in Belize City, when Gotoy came up behind him and grabbed her buttocks. The act annoyed her and she immediately reported the matter to police requesting court action.