A man who had “unlawful sexual intercourse” with a minor and unlawfully confined another has been sentenced to serve a total sentence of 8 years and 9 months.
Duffield Destin, in two separate cases, admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old female on two occasions and confining another to his car less than two years later.
The 44-year-old met the 15-year-old on Facebook in 2019 and began speaking to her daily.
She told him her age and he claimed to be 22 although he was actually 41 at the time. Nevertheless, the conversations eventually became sexual.
They agreed to meet so she could see who she was speaking to and he picked her up at school and was to take her home but instead, he drove to a beach in Five Islands, despite her reluctance.
He had unprotected sex with her in the back seat of the rental car and then gave her a morning after pill.
In November 2020, she agreed to meet with him again and agreed to have sexual intercourse with him and they did so at his home.
It was when she asked him for a ride one day that her father saw them together and she was forced to confess.
Then in 2021, Destin grabbed a 12-year-old off the street and confined her to his car by restraining her with his hands and beating her.
She managed to partially escape by opening the car door, but he held onto her. A passerby noticed the girl’s feet hanging out of the car, saw the struggle and approached the vehicle. When he got close, he heard the girl’s cries for help and saw the defendant holding her hand and apparently thumping her.
When questioned, Destin claimed the girl had run away from home, and he was taking her back.
The child continued to plead for help, and the passerby intervened and freed her from the defendant’s grasp. The accused then threatened the man before he sped away in his car.
Destin claimed that he became frustrated while looking for someone who owed him $10,000 and grabbed the girl not knowing if she had any relation to the debtor.
He was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months for each time he had sex with the girl in the first incident but those sentences were made concurrent. He got a further 4 years and 6 months for confining the other minor. Together he will serve 8 years and 9 months in prison.
Unlawful confinement carries a maximum sentence of 7 years while unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 carries a maximum of 10 years.
