Brother gets 5 years for raping sister

A BARATARIA MAN who pleaded guilty to incest was yesterday sentenced to five years, after High Court Judge Ivor Archie informed him that he was giving him a sentencing discount due to his guilty plea and the fact that he had showed genuine remorse for his crime. The judge pointed out that normally in a similar circumstance a sentenced of at least ten years would have been imposed.

Justice Archie also informed the man that in 2000, Parliament had increased the maximum sentence for the crime of incest to life in prison, because of the seriousness of the offence. The facts presented to the court on Wednesday was that the 41-year-old man had sexual intercourse with his sister after threatening to cut her up into little pieces with a kitchen knife on October 3, 2000. In passing sentence yesterday Justice Archie noted that he could not understand what kind of “altered soul” would commit a crime like that, leave the house to buy cigarettes and then return. He further noted that the matter was aggravated by the threats of violence against the victim.

In explaining the reasons behind the sentencing discount, Justice Archie pointed out that he had taken into consideration the fact that the man had spared his sister the trauma of a trial by pleading guilty to the crime. Justice Archie noted that the man had written letters to his sister expressing his remorse.