Nick Skeete, 31, who was part of a gang that raped a young woman four years ago, was yesterday sentenced to 26 years behind bars when he made a virtual appearance before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Sexual Offences Court.
Skeete, also known as “Jason Blair” and “Shatta,” had been unanimously convicted by a jury back in March, but his sentencing was deferred to facilitate the presentation of probation, prison and victim impact reports. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the sentencing was further deferred.
When the matter was called via Zoom yesterday morning, an apologetic Skeete said that he was sorry for what had happened to the young woman, but vehemently denied any involvement in the assault.
Joining the hearing from the Lusignan Prison, the father of two swore that he was “totally innocent” of the charge, even as he begged the judge for mercy.
According to Skeete, he held no malice against anyone for his incarceration while stating that he saw it as “something systematic” which he had to face.
His attorney, Ravindra Mohabir, in a mitigating plea, said that his client did not have the benefit of proper parental supervision growing up and that his father was absent from his life in those crucial formative years when such a figure is especially crucial.
Passionately pleading with the court for the most lenient of sentences, the lawyer said that Skeete’s children are minors even as he sought to advance also that the man had no antecedents or pending matters before the courts.
Mohabir opined that at age 31 his client is still very young, has his life ahead of him and can benefit from the opportunity of reform for reintegration to society.
Recalling the ghastly incidents of the night in question, however, Justice Barlow made it clear that the aggravating circumstances of the attack and subsequent rape of the woman far outweighed any mitigating factors for which no credit could be given. Yesterday marked exactly four years since the victim was brutally and repeatedly raped by the convict and three other men in what the judge described as the vilest of manner.
From the facts of the case, Justice Barlow recalled that on the night of July 8th, 2016 at an entertainment spot, Skeete attempted to make certain advances towards the woman, who rejected them.
After leaving the venue some time later and as she awaited transportation, however, the court heard that Skeete and the other men forcefully took the woman to a house where they took turns repeatedly raping and performing all sorts of sexual acts on her.
The judge said that the woman was subject to Skeete blowing vapour into her face from a substance he smoked. She said he then instructed the other men to take turns performing sexual acts on the woman, which they sometimes did simultaneously as well.
The judge read from the facts that the woman would then hear of the gang’s plans to confine her to the house as their sex slave.
In the wee hours of July 9th, however, the court heard that the woman managed to escape and was later rescued and taken to the police and hospital for injuries she sustained.
Justice Barlow said that the barbarity of the acts meted out to the survivor, which were demeaning to say the least, made it particularly fitting for the imposition of a custodial sentence.
After referencing case law authorities in similar cases and underscoring the aggravating factors therein, the judge said that 27 years was an appropriate starting point. To that total she added three years for the aggravating circumstances of the case.
From those 30 years, however, three years, 10 months and four days were subtracted for the time Skeete had spent on remand awaiting trial.
This left just over 26 years.
Justice Barlow further ordered that the convict be exposed to counselling for sex offenders. The judge also said the survivor is to continue receiving counselling services since troubling signs owing to the trauma and injuries she suffered as a result of the assault were evident to the court during the trial.
