Tobago ‘Demon’ gets 20 years for raping a minor

A 45-year-old man who was known as “Demon” by his neighbours was yesterday sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour after being convicted of two counts of rape and one count of having sexual relations with a minor.

Uric Smith was sentenced by Justice Pamela Elder in the Port-of-Spain Fifth Criminal Court to serve 20 years in prison with hard labour for each of the three counts. However, since Smith’s sentences are to run concurrently, he will only serve a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. When sentencing Smith, Justice Elder said that sex with a person under 14 is unlawful and “to leave children alone.” Smith, who was originally from Pembroke, Tobago, lived in a room attached to the victim’s house in Saddle Road, Santa Cruz where he worked as a caretaker. For five years prior to moving into the room, Smith lived in the main house.

The first incident of sexual indecency occurred on November 1, 1998 when the victim was 13 and two incidents of rape occurred into the new year. As a result, she became pregnant at age 14 and was subsequently stopped from continuing her secondary schooling. The victim testified that Smith had threatened her after the first sexual encounter that he would kill her mother, and send her step-father to jail. After Smith was convicted July 9, his attorney, Nathaniel King, requested a  probation report. According to the report, Smith’s neighbours had characterised him as unpredictable and strange, and said that Smith bragged to them that the victim loved him and bore his child. The report stated that Smith said he had never been sexually active in all his life, but later contradicted himself by relating sexual encounters with the victim. He also stated that he was not remorseful because he did not think he did anything wrong.

Justice Elder said that when sentencing Smith, the Court would not take into consideration the negative aspects of the probation report. She said that Smith’s sentence should be an example to society that rapists and child molesters will be dealt with by the law, and that a woman’s right to give consent should be respected. The prosecuting attorney was Alexander Prince.