Leon Riley could be jailed for life now that he has been convicted of rape, but he will know his fate on March 29 when he returns to court for sentencing before High Court Justice Keith Thom. The Lionel Hurst Street resident, indicted on charges of serious indecency and rape, was found guilty of both offences at the end of his trial.
The incident occurred in April 2012 in the vicinity of Pensioners Beach where he took the 15-year-old victim and forced himself on her. Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, a 39-year-old man who allegedly had sex with an underaged girl has been denied bail and remanded to prison.
The accused – who cannot be named unless convicted – was told he is considered a flight risk since he is not a national of Antigua and Barbuda, does not have ties to the community, and his permit to remain in the country expires in April. He is expected back in court on Monday when a date for his committal is expected to be set.
There are two offences against him before the All Saints Magistrate’s Court under the Sexual Offences Act: unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16, and serious indecency.
The offences allegedly occurred on January 13 in the community where the accused and complainant reside. When the man appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel Edwards for the first time yesterday, he had no lawyer but said he would like to hire one.