Caregiver convicted of assaulting minor

The caregiver of a fourteen year old girl will spend the next two years in jail for sexually assaulting her at the institution he was employed. Thirty nine year old Herbert Stuart was found guilty this morning in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court of aggravated assault of an indecent nature. The child, who testified during the trial, told the court that on October eighteen of last year, she was watching television when Stuart fondled her. She also testified of another incident involving Stuart. The director of the institution told the court that on hearing of the incident, she suspended Stuart who later asked that the matter be dropped because he had a family. But he was advised that the matter was in the hands of the authorities. Stuart was unrepresented in court and when it was time to cross examine the director, he told the court he wished to go no further as he was stressed out. When he recovered he said the incident was fabricated. Stuart did ask the Senior Magistrate Dorothy Flowers for leniency because he had a wife and family and he remained silent when he was found guilty and given the minimum sentence of two years.