12 years for buggering Bajan

HIGH COURT Judge Alice Yorke Soo-Hon yesterday sentenced a cadet officer to 12 years hard labour for buggery of a Bardadian ex-change student in July 2000.

In addition, he was sentenced to serve three years hard labour for indecent assault of the teen, who was 15 years old at the time of the attack. However, the sentences are to run concurrently so the officer will only serve 12 years in jail. In passing sentence against Cpl Wilfred Alexander, Justice Yorke Soo-Hon noted that she had taken into consideration the fact that he had served for 21 years in the Cadet Force and had a good past record. In addition, he had no previous convictions recorded against him. She pointed out that although these factors had served in his favour, he had in fact “preyed” on a stranger who had been placed in his care. She informed Alexander that he had betrayed the trust and confidence of a teenager who had come to “our land” as an exchange student. She pointed out that parents who send their children to strange lands on exchange programmes must be assured that their children would be properly taken care of. Justice Yorke Soo-Hon informed Alexander that given the prevalence of these types of crimes in society today, she was of the view that he “must be punished for the crime he had committed.” She then imposed the sentence on him.

Alexander, 36, was found guilty of the offence on Friday after a nine-member jury took just ten minutes to deliberate and return the verdict. The facts presented to the court by State attorney Nalini Singh were that the teenager, who is now 17 years old, came to Trinidad on July 17, 2000, as an exchange student. On July 26, 2000, the teen was in his room at the Youth Camp in Chaguaramas when Alexander entered the room and struck up a conversation with him. After the conversation, the teenager attempted to leave the room and Alexander grabbed his groin. The teen left the room and went downstairs where he began to cry. He then entered another room to be by himself and Alexander followed. Alexander ran up to the teen, grabbed him by the neck and attempted to force the teen to perform oral sex on him. When this failed, Alexander ordered the boy to take off his pants, turn around and face the wall. The teen, who was reportedly very scared, did as he was told and Alexander buggered him. The teen was examined on July 31, 2000, and it was found that there was bruising around his anus, neck and waist. Alexander was later arrested and charged for the offence. In his defence Alexander claimed that on the night in question he found the teenager “wining on his (Alexander’s) bed with his pants off.” He said he told the boy to stop “this homosexual behaviour or he would have to pack his bags and go back Barbados.” He said that he believed that was the reason the teenager had made the accusations against him. Alexander was represented in the matter by defence attorney Nathaniel King.