BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – JUST four days after Kiniski Lewis was sentenced to five years imprisonment for unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 16, a 12-member jury rendered an 11-1 guilty verdict against a Cayon resident on an unrelated but similar charge.
Anthony Joseph, whose trial began on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at the Basseterre High Court, was proven guilty of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl.
The trial had seen a total of five witnesses giving evidence on behalf of the prosecution, with His Lordship Justice Francis Belle as the presiding judge.
SKNVibes learnt that the incident occurred sometime in August 2007 at the juvenile’s home in Cayon, where she resides with her mother. It was also learnt that Joseph was a regular visitor to the home, as he had a relative who also resided there.
The young girl had reported the matter to her mother in February 2008 and later to the police, who subsequently arrested and charged Joseph for the unlawful act.
Shortly before his verdict was read, Joseph spoke with SKNVibes and said the incident stemmed from a lie. He also informed that upon completion of his sentence, he would pursue a career in music and hopes to produce a video.
Joseph was represented by Hesketh Benjamin, who asked the court for time to speak on his client’s behalf before sentencing which is scheduled for Thursday, July 15.
The maximum sentence for unlawful carnal knowledge is a life imprisonment.
