Fisherman found guilty of carnal knowledge

And twenty-nine year old Leon Perez, a fisherman, was today found guilty of two counts of Carnal Knowledge against a fifteen year old girl. The jury of five women and four men deliberated for almost three hours before delivering their guilty verdict. The charges date back to 2007 and when the complainant took the stand, she claimed that she met Perez at a funeral in September of that year. She testified that he invited her to his home, where he had sexual intercourse with her for the first time. The second incident took place on the night of December seventeenth 2007, when the minor met Perez again. This time, it was at a Sambai dance and Perez told her to meet him at her late grandmother’s home. She said when she arrived, Perez had sex with her in the outdoor bathroom. There was no medical evidence to support her claims since the girl did not report the incidents until March, 2008. For his part, Perez admitted to knowing the minor when he took the stand. He said the girl lived with him and his girlfriend for about three months after her grandmother died. However, he denied having any sexual contact with her. Perez said that in September 2007, he was in Belmopan but he claimed that he could not recall if he spent the entire month there. He also admitted that he met the girl at a dance in December, but said he did not speak to her. Justice Adolph Lucas has deferred sentencing until May twenty-eighth to give Perez’s Attorney Lionel Welch to prepare a plea for mitigation. Crown Counsel Trienia Young represented the prosecution.