21-year-old boy sentenced to 10-year imprisonment for raping underage girl

Guyana: A 21-year-old boy from Linden has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for raping an underage girl in Guyana. He was enrolled as a business administration student at the Government Technical Institute (GTI), and punishment was handed down on Thursday.

Joshua Lawrence, who admitted guilt to two counts of sexual activity with a child, initially faced a 15-year prison term handed down by Judge Sandil Kissoon of the Demerara High Court.

However, the judge reduced the sentence by one-third in recognition of Lawrence’s early admission of guilt, per established sentencing guidelines.

The charges revealed that he sexually assaulted the minor girl on two occasions: first between February 1 and February 28, 2021, and again between March 8 and March 9, 2021.

It was disclosed that the teenage girl and Lawrence, who was 18 at the time, were acquainted with each other.

Ultimately, the sex offender was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each of the two charges, to be served concurrently. Additionally, Justice Kissoon ordered the prison service to provide Lawrence with skill training in a chosen field to aid in his rehabilitation.

Attorney-at-Law Ronald Bostwick represented Lawrence, while State Counsel Madana Rampersaud and State Counsel Praneta Seeraj represented the prosecution.

The incident was criticized by the netizens, who wondered how the authorities and the police department could let him do that again. However, some also questioned whether the incident could be consensual and that the girl was faking it.

However, people added that the girl is still underage and someone could not take advantage of that, and this should be punished to avoid such incidents in the future. One added,” Even if it was consensual, she was underage at the time. Respect for not wasting the courts time, wishing you well in your future. Hopefully during your incarceration, you are able to complete your studies.”

Another added,”Very unfortunate situation. I hope the big aunties and uncles taking note – dem “ lil bai and lil girl honey pots” come with dire consequences.”