By Latrishka Thomas
The sentencing for a 51-year-old man who admitted guilt to four counts of incest has been pushed to next month.
The accused, who impregnated his daughter when she was 15 years old, was supposed to be sentenced yesterday but the hearing was adjourned to June 7.
He was charged for offences committed in 2014 and 2015.
But, according to the victim, the sexual abuse started when she was around the age of nine and she reported the abuse to her school counsellor when she was 11, triggering police involvement and her removal from the home.
Despite this, her father manipulated her into recanting her statement, which allowed the abuse to persist.
Instances of abuse included a disturbing incident in June 2014 when the defendant, reeking of alcohol, assaulted her outside their home.
She got pregnant that December and even after giving birth, the abuse continued.
Following contact with a welfare officer when the baby was around six months old, the victim was relocated to a safe environment along with the child.
However, despite an initial arrest in 2015, the case did not progress through the legal system until 2021 when the victim pursued legal action against the defendant for child support, leading to his subsequent arrest and formal charges.
The defendant is now on remand in His Majesty’s Prison waiting to be sentenced by Justice Ann Marie Smith.
