BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A 35-year-old man was yesterday afternoon (Feb. 21) sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for having sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 12.
Quincy Davis of Mansion Village appeared before His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas yesterday for sentencing after being found guilty by a 12-member jury on January 24 of unlawful carnal knowledge; an offence he committed sometime between July 1 and 31, 2011.
According to the fact brought out in Court, Davis dragged the then 11-year-old girl on her back into some bushes down a railway in Mansion and, while she was screaming, he placed a condom on his genitals and engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
On completion of the heinous act, he threw $2 on her body.
Before being sentenced, Davis said everyone makes mistakes and one has to ask forgiveness for those blunders.
"I am begging you to have leniency on me," he asked the Court.
Justice Thomas asked Davis if he understood what he had been convicted of, to which he replied in the positive.
The judge then asked him if he understood what unlawful carnal knowledge meant. Davis replied, "Having sex with a person who is underage."
"No! Don't come with that, say it like it is, a child," Justice Thomas countered.
The judge then asked Davis the age of his victim at the time of the offence, to which the convict correctly replied.
He was then asked his age, to which he said 35 years.
"Exactly! More than three times the child's age!" said the judge, obviously appalled.
Davis' Social Inquiry Report stated that he struggled with stability in his life but appeared to be very quiet, mild mannered and polite.
It said he has a 14-year-old son with whom he has not established a relationship, which is the mirror image of his relationship with his own father.
Before passing sentence, Justice Thomas told Davis that he had a hard life as a child but managed to weather the storm, gained employment and built a life.
He also said that despite his three previous convictions, the Court is baffled as to how he came to commit such a heinous crime.
Stressing on the age of the victim, the judge said that it was not appalling enough for Davis taking advantage of a young girl, but he also had the audacity to throw $2 on her when the deed was done, noting that that amounted to payment for sex.
Davis was then handed a 15-year prison sentence with hard labour. The time he spent on remand would count towards his sentence.
At sentencing, Justice Thomas spoke at length about sexual crimes and how it is now reaping havoc in the Federation. He said the offences that are sexual in nature are becoming more and more prevalent in St. Kitts and Nevis and that something more should be done to deter possible offenders.
He went on to state that organisations - government, non-government and even social - should step up and find ways to assist in the fight against sexual crimes, especially where children are involved, adding that the Court alone cannot protect society.
He also encouraged the media to do its part in curtailing these crimes by not just paying attention to the amount of time the offenders would spend behind bars but focus more on the nature of the crime, it's prevalence and the effect it has had and continues to have on society.
He further encouraged the media to also focus on the effects these crimes have on the victims, especially children.
The maximum sentence for a crime of this nature is life imprisonment.
