Police constable gets twelve years for Carnal Knowledge

In the Dangriga Supreme Court, a police constable was hit with a major sentence today. Justice Troadio Gonzalez ordered twenty-three year old Juan Pop to spend twelve years behind bars after the jury deliberated for almost two and a half hours and unanimously found him guilty of the carnal knowledge of a thirteen year old girl. The incident occurred between May twenty-third and twenty-fourth of 2007 when the victim, a primary school student, was being remanded to the Youth Hostel but was held at the Dangriga Police Station overnight. Three months later the minor reported to a supervisor at the hostel that while she was held at the station, constable Pop sexually abused her when the other two officers on duty went on patrol and they were left alone. Pop, represented by Attorney Simeon Sampson, denied that he committed the offense. The prosecution was represented by Crown Counsel Nadine Palacio.