Dad jailed for 40 years

The father, 43, was ordered by Justice Devan Rampersad in the San Fernando High Court to serve ten years each on four counts of committing incest on his two daughters. However, he will serve ten years because the judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

The father is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence, imposed on him in June last year for incest.

Justice Rampersad told the father that the family unit was the cornerstone of any civilised society, and when that foundation is crushed by persons of trust, there are consequences.

The father had pleaded guilty before the judge last Friday to having sex with his two teenaged daughters — aged 13 and 15.

State attorney Narissa Ramsundar told the court that the father committed the acts on three occasions with his 15-year-old daughter between February 28 and April 1, 2001; March 27, 2001; between May 31 and July 1, 2001. He had sex with the 13-year-old daughter on June 12, 2001. The judge heard that the father had threatened to kill the girls if they told anyone what happened.

Justice Rampersad said yesterday, "I find that there are no mitigating factors except for the guilty plea. You are a person of considerable age, a father of several young children. You abused the trust of the family unit. Not just once, but several times. As a consequence, one became pregnant. The scar on her can never be erased."

The paternity of the child was not disputed by attorney Russel Pena, who represented the father.

Police arrested the father after the 15-year-old daughter told her mother about the last incident. A medical examination of the girl revealed that she was 12 to 14 weeks pregnant. Acting Cpl Wayne Doodai charged the girls’ father.

Justice Rampersad quoted three Court of Appeal judgments, and in one, Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma expressed strong remarks against sex offenders who are father figures and persons of trust.