BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Health Department employee Keithly ‘Yamba’ Griffin of Water Works, Cayon will have to spend the next 20 years behind bars for unlawful carnal knowledge of a 15-year-old girl.
The 43-year-old man was sentenced today (Mar. 31) at the Basseterre High Court by His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas for the crime he committed sometime in February 2009 between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning.
Griffin was represented by Senior Counsel Dr. Henry Browne and this was the second time that he was tried for the same offence. The first time was at the September 2010 Assizes and it had ended in a hung jury.
Browne presented mitigations on behalf of his client and said that he is a modest man with a commendable employment history. However, two character witnesses were called to speak on his behalf but failed to show up.
His Lordship said that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating ones, noting that some of the former surrounding the matter were that the girl gave birth to a child, that she was on her way to a sporting event, that he raped her for 15 minutes, and instead of taking her to her original destination he “dumped her off at Bakers Corner”.
According to the evidence presented in court, the victim entered Griffin’s bus to attend a sporting event but was instead taken to a Bird Rock location on a hill that overlooks Frigate Bay.
“You tricked her and then raped her without a condom, and then when you were finished with her you told her you weren’t going country again and dump her off at Bakers’ Corner.
“St. Kitts and Nevis cannot develop with men like you who love to have sex with children. People like you must pay for the crime and be put away for a long time,” His Lordship said.
He then told Griffin that after considering all the circumstances he would be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“And for those who intend to follow your example, the maximum sentence is life in prison,” Justice Thomas added.
Some of Griffin’s friends and co-workers at the Health Department were outside the court and shouted ‘Yamba’ as the shackled convict was placed in a vehicle to be transported to his new home.
Nigel Westcott (47) was in tears when he saw his shackled childhood friend being whisked away from the court.
“He was a very good friend. We did a lot of stuff together, football, cricket…we were very close. He was wrong to do what he did but I wish the judge could have been more lenient,” Westcott said.
Four witnesses, including the victim, were called to testify on behalf of the prosecution team that was led by Director of Public Prosecution Paulina Hendrickson during the trial which began on March 21.
Griffin was brought in guilty unanimously on March 22 after a 12-member jury deliberated for little over an hour.
