A 25-year-old man was on Monday sentenced to a total of 38 years imprisonment on two counts of rape of a girl, once when she was six and the other when she was nine.
Keon Lawson, known as Crash, was sentenced by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Demerara High Court. In December, Lawson after the trial was found guilty of the two indictment by a 12-member jury.
The first count stated that Lawson first raped the girl between November 1 – 30, 2014 and committed the same act three years later.
Lawson’s attorney, George Thomas, begged the court for leniency and asked the court to consider that his client was young at the time when he committed the offence and can be rehabilitated.
The victim, in a statement, said that since the incident she only trusts her father.
A probation officer told the court that the victim was once joyful but after the incident, her grades in school dropped and she stopped socializing, particularly with the opposite sex.
The State was represented by prosecutors Teriq Mohammed and Nefeeza Baig.
The Judge considered the prevalence of such offences, especially in Linden and the fact that Lawson raped the victim twice on different occasions.
She further explained that Lawson showed no remorse and maintained his innocence.
Lawson was sentenced to 18 years on the first count and 20 years on the second. The Judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
According to reports, Lawson was known to the victim and her family.
It is alleged that on November 1, 2014 and November 30, 2014, Lawson went over to the victim’s home while she was alone and raped her.
However, on October 6, 2017, the victim, who was nine years old at the time, was sent to Lawson’s house by to collect chicken which was stored in a freezer, when it is alleged that he blocked her from leaving and raped her.
Later that month, while the child was at school she told her teacher what Lawson did to her. The child’s parents were summoned to the school and the matter was reported to the police.
