Guyana: Man sentenced to 16 years for rape of minor

Guyana: A 36-year-old male named Oswald Earl Bedlow, also known as Uncle Wallie, a resident of Georgetown, was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment for raping a girl just two weeks after her 16th birthday.

The sentence was announced by Judge Sandil Kissoon of the Demerara High Court, who criticized both his lack of genuine remorse as well as his premediated actions.

According to the information, after deliberating for around two hours last month, the foreman of the 12-member jury stated that they had found the suspect guilty of the crime, which was committed back on December 22, 2022, in Demerara.

The police officials reported that the verdict passed by the jury was unanimous, and following the verdict, the offender was placed on remand until his sentence was heard on July 5, 2024. This was done in order to allow the probation and other reports to be prepared ahead of the hearing.

The court stated that Earl Bedlow, who is married and is father to two children, engaged in sexual penetration with the victim without her consent in 2022. At that time, she was just 16 years old, while the suspect was aged 34.

Along with 16 years in jail, Justice Kissoon also mandated that Bedlow must participate in vocational training programs and sex offender counseling sessions during his incarceration to support his rehabilitation.

Also, during the trial, the suspect was represented by attorney-at-law Ronald Bostwick, while State Counsel Marisa Edwards was present in the court on behalf of the teenage girl.

As information about the imprisonment circulated on social media, several social media users said that the sentence served was not enough for the crime he committed. “16 years is too little they should have thrown away the key with you in there, you wicked tail you,” wrote a user named Burnett, while another user said, “Too light sentence for a rapist.”