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Man, 31, who raped girl, 8, jailed for life
RAPIST: David Alexander
In what she described as one of the worst cases, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow yesterday jailed a 34-year-old man for life after he appeared before her and pleaded guilty to brutally raping an eight-year-old girl, and then threatening to kill her if she talked.
At the opening of the October session of the Demerara Assizes which took place at the High Court in Georgetown, the man, David Amsterdam, was brought before the Judge in the Sexual Offences Court.
Alexander who retained Attorney-at-Law, Clyde Forde, pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on February 24, 2015, in the county of Essequibo, he engaged in sexual penetration of an eight-year-old girl.
Short facts were presented by State Prosecutor Abigail Gibbs who appeared in association with Prosecutors Seeta Bishundial and Tiffini Lyken.
Forde, during a plea in mitigation, told the court that his client cannot vividly recall the events which led to his incarceration since, at the time, he was intoxicated. The lawyer begged the court to temper justice with mercy.
In doing so, he highlighted that his client opted to plead guilty, saving judicial time and the trauma of having the victim go through a trial. Alexander had at one point pleaded guilty with explanation.
He sought to explain that it was the little girl who asked him to come onto the bed. However, after consulting with his lawyer, Alexander pleaded guilty and expressed that he was “very, very sorry.”
He told the court, “I am very, very sorry for what happened. This is the first time I have come into contact with any police or magistrate. I have four children and I have been in jail three years suffering.”
A victim impact statement was read to the court by a Child Care and Protection Officer. The Official, who spoke with the child, said that the child told her that she felt sad, hurt and confused.
According to the Official, the child said that she wanted Alexander to stop violating her, but at the same time, was afraid that he would have killed her.
Nevertheless, the child expressed that she is now happy that she is living with her aunt and afforded the opportunity to attend school.
In arriving at a sentence for Alexander, Justice Barlow said that while she does not discriminate against persons who consume alcohol, they must remain in control of themselves. The judge pointed out that Alexander was in a position of trust, since on the day of the incident the child’s mother left her with him.
The Judge pointed out that this was one of the worst cases she had come across since the young girl had to undergo surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), since both the health centre and hospital in her community were unable to deal with her condition.
The judge said that she found no mitigating factors, while stressing that “drinking is not an excuse.”
Apart from imposing the life sentence, the Judge ordered that Alexander undergo counselling for alcohol abusers, and also counselling for persons who have committed these sorts of crimes.
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