Father’s Sentence on Rape Charges Significantly Reduced on Appeal

On Friday, the Court of Appeal drastically reduced the prison sentence given to a Dangriga father in his forties who was convicted of raping his own daughter no less than six times at a tender age. Justice of the Supreme Court Troadio Gonzalez set a total of seventy-five years in prison on the six counts after conviction in February of 2011. But he will now serve just nineteen years in prison, a reduction of fifty-six years from the original term. The father was convicted of raping his daughter when she was between the ages of eight and ten. But attorney for the convict, Oscar Selgado, argued that the sentence was harsh, excessive and did not take into consideration the time needed to rehabilitate the convict. Appeal Justices Samuel Awich, Murrio Ducille and Christopher Blackman agreed and set the new term, which begins from the date of conviction in the Supreme Court. This means that the father has already served five years and has a further twelve years and six months to go. According to Selgado, he will now be eligible for parole.