Chandralall Lakhraj, called “Uncle Pappi”, was on Tuesday sentenced to serve 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of two counts of rape committed on an 11-year-old girl who was left in his care.
The sentence was imposed by Justice Brassington Reynolds, who sits at the Berbice High Court.
In August, a 12-member jury found Lakhraj guilty. Lakhraj had denied that between September 1 and October 9, 2019, he raped the girl. He further denied that during the same period, he forced the girl to touch his penis.
During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, the rape survivor read her impact statement in court.
“Since the incident with Uncle Pappi, it change me life. If any strange man come around me, it makes me stay far away from them… I feel if I go close to them, they might do me the same thing,” the child said.
State Prosecutor Befeeza Baig, during her address, told the court that the victim might be unable to form healthy relationships due to the psychological trauma caused by Lakhraj.
Meanwhile, Lakhraj’s attorney Chandra Sohan, asked the court to temper justice with mercy since his client is the father of three and can be rehabilitated.
Before imposing the sentence, Justice Reynolds highlighted that Lakhraj violated the “bodily integrity” of the teen and brought “indignity, trauma and shame” upon his family.
According to the judge, such actions are despicable and cannot be tolerated in society, especially “big men” who prey on “little girls.”
The judge sentenced Lakhraj to 10 years imprisonment on each count and ordered that it run concurrently.
The girl had confided in her school teacher and the matter was reported to the police.
Lakhraj claimed innocence of the crimes and said he was in Suriname when the girl claimed she was raped.