Child rapist gets life sentence

Jan 20, 2018 News

Thirty-eight year-old Ganesh Chaitram was yesterday sentenced in his absence to life imprisonment, convicted of rape by a mixed 12 member jury. Chaitram, who had been released on bail, absconded from the trial on Thursday after indicating that he was leaving the High Court in Georgetown to purchase a meal. The court never saw him again.
Trial Judge Simone Morris Ramlall was ready to summarize the evidence to the jury on Thursday and direct them on issues relating to the law. However, the judge adjourned the matter to yesterday. There was still no sign of Chaitram. The judge then proceeded to give a summation of the evidence to the jurors, who later left for deliberation.
The jury returned with a unanimous guilty verdict at around 14:00hrs yesterday.
Chaitram was indicted for engaging in sexual activity with a child/family member involving penetration.
The offence was committed between May 1 and 31, 2016 when the girl was just 10 years old.
Attorney-at-Law Beulah Williams, who represented the convict, begged for mercy on his behalf.
According to the lawyer, Chaitram is still a young man and father of four. Williams said that from interacting with her client, he expressed remorse, and was sorry for his actions, adding that he is very distraught.
A representative from the Child Care and Protection Agency, who had been providing support to the victim, told the court that the young girl expressed anger at coming to court.
As a result, the representative said that she spoke with the young girl who expressed certain views about the situation.
According to the representative, the child told her that her life was far from perfect, since Chaitram, who was in the habit of drinking and smoking, would abuse her mother.
The representative said that the child told her that she still appreciated Chaitram, since he was the provider for their family which consisted of three other siblings.
The child, through the representative, said that Chaitram was the only father figure in her life, and that she is angry that her mother did not believe her story when she complained of being molested by him.
The child also expressed that she wanted Chaitram to suffer and hurt like she has been doing.
She also said that she wants him to endure the embarrassment she faced. “I want people to know he is an evil man…and I want people to know I am telling the truth,” the representative said the child told her.
In arriving at the custodial sentence, the Judge considered the nature of the offence and circumstances under which it was committed.
Justice Morris-Ramlall pointed out that the offence involved sexual penetration of a 10-year-old girl who was awakened in the night and caused to perform repulsive acts by a man she viewed as a “father figure”.
It was also noted by the Judge that the young girl was molested on the bed that her other siblings occupied.
The Judge said that the victim and her siblings are now in custody of the state.
Chaitram would become eligible for parole after serving 45 years.
State Counsel Shawnette Austin, Orinthia Schmidt and Seeta Bishundial appeared for the prosecution.

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