Forty-nine-year-old Wazir Potter was yesterday afternoon sentenced to 18 years behind bars for the rape of a 12-year-old boy in 2018.
A jury had convicted Potter last month but his sentence had been deferred for a probation report and victim impact statement.
Senior Probation and Social Services Officer, Carol Beresford, by whom the report was read said that even as the offender continues to profess his innocence in the face of the jury’s verdict, the child continues to suffer psychologically.
Meanwhile, reading from the victim impact statement, the young boy’s counsellor—Nichola Foo—said that while he recounts the discomfort and insecurity he experiences because of what was done to him, he has expressed relief that Potter was convicted and would be sentenced.
She said he had related constantly feeling afraid and ashamed of what had happened to him.
Foo said he has, however, expressed joy that Potter would be imprisoned so that he no longer has to see him, while stating that his family who is there to comfort him, is also happy that Potter would be put away.
Defence attorney Teriq Mohammed had asked the court to consider the challenging childhood Potter had, having to leave school at an early age to fend for himself and turning to alcohol to deal with the death of his son who was murdered.
Prosecutor Nafeeza Baig had asked the judge, however, to consider the nature, gravity and prevalence of the offence; the position of trust broken and the fact that Potter had shown no remorse.
In his address before imposing sentence, Justice Brassington Reynolds said that while the court recognizes the challenging life Potter has had, as is the case of many Guyanese, he could get no credit for having turned to alcohol for solace and then assaulting the child.
The judge told the offender that he ought to have better dealt with whatever issues he was struggling with, instead of giving into his depraved carnal desires and assaulting the bodily integrity of the child in the vilest of ways.
The judge underscored the trauma the child has had to face, and continues to face, while noting that for close to three years, Potter enjoyed his freedom, while the child had to endure seeing him and being tormented and haunted by what was done to him.
“Removing you from society is the least that the Court could do,” to set its face against what you have done and to send a strong message to potential offenders, the judge told an expressionless Potter.
In all the circumstances, Justice Reynolds informed the convict that he would be sentenced to 18 years behind bars. Potter raped the young boy on August 8th, 2018.
