A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl who had been in his care since birth, according to Antigua News Room.
The High Court handed down the sentence just one day after the defendant entered his guilty plea. Alongside the principal charge, the court imposed two concurrent five-year sentences for serious indecency.
The court heard that the man had been in a relationship with the child's mother and is listed on the girl's birth certificate, giving him a longstanding position of trust in her life. The presiding judge identified that relationship as a significant aggravating factor in determining the severity of the sentence.
The offences occurred between late 2022 and July 2023, during a period when the child was staying with the man at a residence where he worked as a caretaker. Evidence presented to the court outlined multiple incidents of abuse, including threats made to the child to ensure her silence.
The case came to light in August 2023 after the girl's mother observed signs of injury and questioned her daughter. The child's subsequent disclosure prompted a report to police and led to the man's arrest.
As reported by Antigua News Room, the identities of both the child and the defendant have been withheld in order to protect the victim.
