BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A High Court judge in Barbados has sentenced a man to just over six and a half years in prison after he admitted to sexually abusing his stepdaughter more than two decades ago.
Justice Christopher Birch said the man’s conduct was “systematic, degrading and humiliating” and that he had abandoned his fundamental duty to protect the child in his care.
“It cannot be denied that the now-convicted man, in this case, embarked on a course of action against the complainant that was systematic, degrading and humiliating.
“He not only failed in his duty as a parent to provide safety and security, but he deliberately set out to seek gratification for his own desires regardless of her feelings or the damage he caused,” Birch added.
The court heard that the child was subjected to multiple forms of penetration.
The man, whose name was withheld to protect the child’s identity, pleaded guilty to a charge of buggery committed between June 1 and June 30, 2001.
Birch said the aggravating features of the case were “very disturbing” and that the child had been placed “at the literal mercy of the man”.
“She had the right to be protected by him, not from him,” the judge said, noting that the abuse occurred over an extended period and finding no mitigating circumstances relating to the offence itself, concluding that an 18-year starting point was appropriate.
Birch said the man acknowledged that the victim “had not deserved it” and admitted that “no one deserves that kind of evil being visited on them”.
The stepfather also told the court he continued to experience inner turmoil stemming from his own childhood trauma.
The judge further noted that the offender had not attempted to minimise or excuse his conduct, had no previous convictions, and had received favourable character references.
Those factors, together with the pre-sentence report, resulted in a two-year reduction from the starting sentence.
A one-third reduction was applied for the guilty plea, with additional deductions for the lengthy delay and the 158 days the offender had already spent on remand.
After all deductions, Birch ordered the man to serve the remaining 2,460 days in prison.
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