Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall yesterday sentenced a young man to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a minor but he will serve a maximum of 10 years.
Kevin Mahaica committed the act on four occasions during the months of October and December 2016. He was 17 years old at the time while the victim was 13 years old.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said she considered the nature and the gravity of the offence and the fact that Mahaica betrayed the trust of the victim and her family. She pointed out that the offence was committed not just on one occasion and the convict pleaded guilty to two charges. The judge said she also took into consideration the impact the crime has had on the child as was evident in the victim impact statement read to the court in which she said the acts left her scarred and troubled.