Appeal Court denies sentence reduction for convicted rapist

Jan 19, 2019 News

Convicted rapist Ray Thomas has failed in his attempt to have his 18-year jail sentence reduced at the Appeal Court. Thomas, 49, an ex-gambler from Laing Avenue, Georgetown, was unanimously found guilty by a 12-member jury of the offence of raping an eight-year-old in 2015.
According to the facts of the case, the child had gone to the home of the accused to return a bag which her mother had borrowed when the accused used the opportunity to pull the girl into his bedroom and commit the crime despite cries from the child to “Stop! I want to go home!”
Thomas had sexually penetrated the eight year-old’s vagina with two of his fingers during the month of February 2012. He had conducted his own defence after he denied committing the crime at his arraignment in the High Court.
Thomas was however found guilty of the crime by a jury panel which consisted of ten women and two men. The presiding Judge, Dawn Gregory, had sentenced him to 18 years in prison.
The convict appealed the sentence, hoping for a reduction.
At the Appeal Court, Attorney George Thomas presented arguments on his behalf. Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Dionne McCammon appeared for the State. Thomas had argued for a reduction of the sentence.
Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Appellate Justice Rishi Persaud and additional judge from the High Court, James Bovell-Drakes, determined that they did not find that trial Judge Dawn Gregory erred in principle when sentencing Thomas.
In fact, Chancellor Cummings-Edwards citing case law, observed that sentences can serve as a deterrent to others who may potentially commit such crimes.
After in-chamber deliberations, the Judges returned and disclosed that they were unable to find that the sentence was excessive. As such, the appeal was dismissed.

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