News Americas, PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Thurs. Feb. 1, 2024: A Trinidad and Tobago police officer took the oath to protect and serve. Instead he will now spend 15 years in jail for raping his own daughter.
The officer, whose name was not released in order to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to seven sexual offences in April, last year but was only sentenced by High Court Judge Hayden St Clair-Douglas earlier this week.
He admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter several times over a three-year period – more than a decade ago. According to court documents, the officer’s wife discovered that he had been abusing their daughter in July 2010 – after she found a DVD in their bedroom containing a video of one of the attacks while cleaning their bedroom.
While the face of the man in the video was not visible, the woman recognised her husband by his genitals. The woman admitted that she made several copies of the DVD and gave one to her pastor for safekeeping before she confronted her husband.
The officer reportedly denied any wrongdoing before reluctantly admitting to it and claiming that “he did not mean to hurt anybody.” The wife then forced the officer to move out of their home and then made a report to a now retired Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Raymond Craig.
The victim was interviewed and told investigators her father began having sex with her when she was nine-years-old. She said the attacks happened three times weekly in her parents’ bedroom – while her mother was not home. The victim was medically examined and shown the video in her mother’s presence to identify herself.
The officer was slapped with five charges for having sex with a minor, one for grievous sexual assault, and another for serious indecency.
Justice St Clair-Douglas sentenced the officer to 15 years in prison for each of the statutory rape charges and for grievous sexual assault. He was also sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for serious indecency. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently meaning that the officer will be released after serving 15 years in prison.
The officer has already served nine months of his sentence as he was remanded after pleading guilty to the offences, last year.
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