23 years jail for Essequibo man who raped girl, 6

Colin Thomas, a 50-year-old man of Essequibo was sentenced to 43 years imprisonment for raping a six-year-old girl twice between 2013-2014 but he will only serve 23 years behind bars.

Earlier this week, Thomas confessed to the charges before Justice Simone Morris- Ramlall at the High Court.

The Judge sentenced Thomas to serve 20 years for the first charge of rape and 23 years on the second charge but the sentences will run concurrently which means he will only sever 23 years and will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 18 years.

Thomas admitted that between August 1- 31, 2013, in the county of Essequibo, he engaged in sexual penetration with a six-year-old girl without her consent.

He also admitted to raping the child again between December 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019.

In imposing the sentence, Justice Morris-Ramlall took into consideration that Thomas raped the victim twice at a tender age and betrayed her trust.

The court also took into consideration the impact that the crime had on the child and her family.

The Judge also considered the fact that Thomas pleaded guilty to the two charges and threw himself at the mercy of the court.

The judge also ordered that he undergo counselling while serving his 23-year sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Teriq Mohammed while Thomas was represented by attorney Maxwell McKay.