City businessman Kevin Jordan was yesterday morning sentenced to 18 years in jail for raping a seven-year-old boy.
Justice Dawn Gregory handed down the sentence after a probation report was presented on Jordan, 56, who was found guilty on one of two counts of buggery by a 12-member jury at the High Court on October 12th.
Jordan’s sentencing was deferred to yesterday after his attorney Neil Boston requested the probation report.
The first charge against him had stated that on November 2nd, 2007, in the county of Demerara, he buggered the child, who was seven at the time. He was found not guilty of that charge by a proportion of 10 to 2 jurors.
The second charge stated that he carried out the act on the same child on November 7th, 2007. He was found guilty on this count on a proportion of 11 to 1.
Jordan, the owner of Jordan’s Spare Parts at High and Broad streets, had been arrested in 2007 after four boys, between the ages of six and eight years old, alleged that he molested them at his business place. The boys had been students of a nearby primary school.
The probation officer read the report before a filled courtroom, where many of Jordan’s relatives were seen weeping as they sought to comfort each other.
Disbelief
The report said Jordan’s neighbours described him as a “very generous man” and it noted their shock at the charges levelled against him as well as the conviction.
According to the report, it was customary for Jordan to celebrate his birthday and Christmas by preparing gift baskets, which he distributed to children in his community. It said too that he assisted many parents who could not afford to send their children to school.
The probation report stated too that Jordan’s neighbours questioned “how people could have been so wicked to blame him (Jordan), for this offence?”
According to the report, neighbours and associates expressed as many children grew up around him and none had made any report of sexual assault or being touched inappropriately by Jordan.
In its assessment of Jordan’s attitude towards the offence, the court heard from the report that the convict maintained his innocence and resolved to leave the situation in God’s hands.
However, state counsel Stacy Goodings argued that the report lacked balance and seemed to have favoured the convict. She suggested that not enough effort had been made by the probation officer to contact the victim’s family to ascertain how he has been coping.
Under questioning by Goodings, the probation officer said she was only able to contact the father of the victim, who has expressed concern that the victim, who is now a teen, is not attending school. She added that the teen’s counsellors had advised her against contacting him because of the “situation.”
Boston said the report was “good” and noted that it spoke of the exemplary life his client had been living for the past 56 years. “His generosity knew no limits,” he said.
“It is his generosity that created the enabling environment that caused this allegation against him,” Boston opined. “If he was not that generous, he would not be sitting in the (prisoner’s) dock,” Boston added.
The lawyer, however, acknowledged that his client is bound by law to accept the jury’s verdict which is final.
Boston begged Justice Gregory for mercy and leniency as she considered sentence.
“Mercy in judgement depends on the goodness of Your Honour’s heart,” he said. “The key to your discretion would have to have access to your heart. I hope that when that key goes in it finds mercy,” he added.
Damage
Prosecutor Goodings, however, asked the court to consider the aggravating circumstances, such as the position of authority which Jordan abused as well as the physical and psychological damage which the victim would have sustained.
Before passing sentence, Justice Gregory reminded Jordan that the offence he committed was against a child, which the law views seriously. She said the sentence needed to reflect the protection of the public from harm.
The judge noted that she had 20 years in mind, but she added that she decided to deduct two years after taking into consideration all the mitigating and aggravating circumstance.
One of the convict’s crying daughters had to be prevented by police from holding unto his hand, as the officers escorted him from the courtroom to be taken away to the Camp Street Prison.
“The system is a failed one. It has failed him,” one female relative said.
The father of five wore an expressionless look on his face as he exited the courtroom.
“Keep the faith my brother. Don’t lose hope,” a male relative encouraged, as other relatives echoed similar sentiments.
The trial was held in camera and saw six state witnesses taking the stand.
In leading his defence, Jordan called 12 witness.
The state’s case was led by Goodings in association with prosecutor Orinthia Schmidt.
