By Latrishka Thomas
A man has been sentenced to five years behind bars for rape – a fraction of the maximum sentence available.
Alfred Greenaway was convicted in September of raping an 18-year-old girl.
The incident took place on September 5 2018 while the victim was at her boyfriend’s home.
When her partner left, the woman was approached by the defendant who she caught spying on her through a window.
The defendant came through a faulty door in the house and asked the victim for her partner.
She replied that he had gone out for a bit and Greenaway exited the house.
As the complainant quickly tried to get dressed, the defendant returned and asked her again about her boyfriend’s whereabouts.
She indicated that she was about to go looking for him but the defendant apparently had other plans.
He ordered her to remove her pants, and when she refused he held a pair of scissors to her throat, removed her clothes and raped her.
After a short trial, the jury sided with the prosecution and found Greenaway, 28, guilty as charged.
A few weeks later, Greenaway’s lawyer, Pete-Semaj McKnight, mitigated on his behalf in the hope that he would not be given the maximum sentence of life imprisonment or 30 years in this circumstance.
McKnight told Justice Colin Williams that his client suffers from two psychological disorders for which he is currently on medication.
In addition, he said that his client did not have the best upbringing with his family having struggled financially.
In sentencing the rapist yesterday, the judge indicated that finding the appropriate standpoint in this case was challenging.
One of the issues he contended with was whether the defendant was indeed armed.
The victim claimed that the defendant held a pair of scissors to her neck and threatened to stab her if she screamed, and that she grabbed another pair of scissors to defend herself.
But Greenaway told the police that he was not armed. He said he grabbed a pair of scissors from the victim and put them away.
The judge chose to believe the defendant and began with a starting point of nine years. After considering the defendant’s personal circumstances and the time he spent on remand, he sentenced Greenaway to five years’ imprisonment.