By Latrishka Thomas
A bus driver who raped a 13-year-old girl three years ago was yesterday sentenced to prison for 13 years.
The offence occurred in April 2019 after the girl and her aunt hitched a ride to St John’s with driver, Addison Browne.
After making the stops, the 44-year-old dropped the victim’s aunt and her friend in front of the St John’s Police Station. But the young girl was sent back home with Browne when her aunt realised that she did not have her cellular phone.
The minor told the court during the trial that she fell asleep in the car when suddenly she felt the car stop.
When she opened her eyes, she realised that her hands and feet were tied with a white rope. The man had stopped under a tree somewhere in Potters.
She said he raped her before driving her home.
The young girl said that it wasn’t until they got to the house that he untied her and then threatened to kill both her and her mother if she told anyone what had happened.
Browne, who is Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s half-brother, was found guilty of rape in June. On Monday the victim’s mother told the court that the incident had left her child traumatised.
Despite arguments made by Browne’s attorney, Justice Ann-Marie Smith accepted that the child had suffered serious psychological scars.
Smith began sentencing with a starting point of 12 years out of a possible 30, to reflect the offence’s category within sentencing guidelines. But, after taking into account mitigating and aggravating factors, Browne was imprisoned for 13 years.