Appeal Court reduces jail time for man found guilty of raping boy

Mark Campbell, who is currently serving a life sentence after he was found guilty of raping a boy twice, had his prison term reduced to 20 years by the Court of Appeal on Monday.

Back in 2017, Campbell stood trial before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall at the Georgetown High Court.

It was alleged that he first raped the boy in September 2011 when the victim was just six years old. Campbell repeated the act on July 10, 2013, when the boy was eight.

After a 12-member jury found Campbell guilty on both counts, he was initially sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years behind bars.

Campbell subsequently lodged an appeal with the Court of Appeal, claiming that his conviction was unjust. He argued that the sentence imposed upon him was excessively severe.

The appeal was heard by Chancellor (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

In delivering the court’s ruling, the Chancellor, among other things, granted the appeal on the basis that the trial judge had not adhered to the established sentencing guidelines.

Consequently, the life imprisonment sentences for both counts were reduced to 20 years each, to be served concurrently. Additionally, Campbell received credit for the time he had already spent in custody.

According to reports, Campbell was entrusted by the boy’s mother to care for him while she worked the night shift.

It was during this time that Campbell allegedly committed the acts of sexual abuse mentioned in the charges, with the mother being absent from the home due to work obligations.

In a separate incident in 2018, Campbell received another life sentence after confessing to the rape of a 5-year-old boy on 16th April 2013.

This sentence was handed down by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, who also ordered that Campbell would be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.