Linden resident Keon Lawson, who late last year was found guilty of raping a nine-year-old girl, was yesterday morning sentenced to spend the next 20 years behind bars by Sexual Offences Court judge Simone Morris-Ramlall.
Lawson had been convicted by a jury in December for sexually assaulting the child on two separate occasions, but sentencing had been deferred to facilitate the presentation of a probation report.
From the report read at yesterday’s hearing, the court heard of Lawson being a school drop-out when he was only in the eighth grade.
The probation officer pointed out, too, that even though the convict had apologised for what he had done following the jury’s verdict, he now deflects and maintains that he is innocent.
The officer said that the once joyful child now has difficulty socialising and forming friendships, especially with members of the opposite sex for whom she has no trust, save for her father.
According to the report, the child’s grades at school have also been affected as a result of the abuse and because of the broken trust she would like to see her rapist behind bars.
The probation officer said that notwithstanding the convict’s maintaining his innocence, he has been convicted by a jury of his peers and there needs to be zero tolerance for child abuse.
Meanwhile, reporting from a victim impact statement which she said the child submitted, Social Worker Simone Gaskin said the child related that not only was it difficult to endure what Lawson did to her, but that she still has to live with the painful memories for the rest of her life.
According to the statement, the child said that because she was raped, she no longer trusts the convict or any other male, except “my dad.”
In a mitigating plea on behalf of his client, however, defence attorney George Thomas asked the judge to consider that Lawson was merely 20 years old at the time he committed the offence, while adding that with him still being a young person, he has good prospects of rehabilitation.
Thomas opined that his client can still successfully be reintroduced to society to make meaningful contributions, even as he begged the judge for mercy.
For her part, however, Prosecutor Nafeeza Baig in her firm address to the court countered Thomas’ requests by asking the court to consider the dastardly acts committed on the young child.
On this point, she asked the judge to consider that the child was assaulted more than once, and even physically abused during the attacks as Lawson threw her to the ground, causing injuries to her back.
Baig underscored that the child trusted the offender so much that she did not immediately complain about what had happened to her, for fear that no one would believe her because of the trustworthy and upstanding person Lawson was known to be.
The prosecutor said that not only had the convict broken that trust, but he had robbed the child of her innocence.
She asked the judge, too, to consider that while Lawson had apologised for what he had done to the child following the verdict against him, he still maintains his innocence.
Before imposing sentence, Justice Morris-Ramlall underscored the prevalence of sexual offences emanating from the Linden community as well as the nature and gravity of the offence which has robbed the child of her innocence.
The judge said she considered the offence being committed on the child more than once as being an aggravating factor, in addition to the fact that she found “no genuine remorse,” coupled with a breach of trust.
On the first count of rape Lawson was sentenced to 18 years and on the second, 20 years in prison. The judge explained that the difference in the sentences was because Lawson had repeated the offence on the child a second time.
The judge ordered that the sentences be served concurrently and that the convict be counselled quarterly, beginning next month.
Particulars of the charges against 26-year-old Lawson stated that between November 1st and November 30th, 2014, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with a six-year-old girl, and then on October 6th, 2017, he engaged in sexual activity with the same child who at that time was nine-years old.
According to reports, in relation to the first count, Lawson went to the house where the six-year-old was alone. He then held the child, covered her mouth and raped her.
Further reports indicated that in 2017, while the child was nine-years-old, she was sent to the convict’s home to collect something. As the victim attempted to leave the home, Lawson, who was alone at the time, blocked her from exiting and threw her on to a chair and raped her.
The child later told her teacher what the convict did to her, which caused her parents to be summoned to the school and the matter being reported to the police.
