A 65-year-old retired teacher has been ordered to spend 2 years, 7 months and 17 days in prison for four counts of indecent assault on a 13-year-old boy.
The sentence was handed down on John Clyde Fitzpatrick, of Sion Hill, after a hearing before a magistrate.
iWitness News was only able to obtain the sentence in connection with the hearing as such matters are heard in camera to protect the victims.
However, a police statement in February 2025 said that the offences were committed between September 2024 and January 2025.
“Due to the sensitive nature of the case and the need to protect the identity of the minor, further details cannot be disclosed at this time,” police had said in a statement then.
They, however, said that all necessary legal processes were being followed to ensure justice is served.
Fitzpatrick was charged under Section 127(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, CAP 171 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2009), which states that indecent assault on a child under the age of 15 carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment.
Additionally, subsection 2 notes that a child under 15 cannot, in law, give consent that would prevent an act from being considered an assault.
