Thirty-two-year-old Linden taxi driver, Evon Barker called ‘Baby,’ has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for raping an 11-year-old girl in 2022.
The sentence was imposed on Thursday by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon.
At his arraignment in February, the man denied the charge levelled against him.
Two weeks later on the day his trial was set to commence, he changed his plea, admitting that he did rape the young girl.
He owned-up to the prosecution’s case against him of preying on the 11-year-old whom he had dropped to an event.
Prosecutors say that later on the day in question, Barker returned for the child and drove her to a bushy area where he raped her in the back seat of his car.
When given a chance to address the court on Thursday, the offender said “I’m sorry for whatever act I committed. Sorry for whatever hurt that I’ve committed. I’m not a bad person. I pray to God. I am just hoping that this family could forgive me.”
Meanwhile, in his mitigating address to the court, the offender’s attorney, Ronald Bostwick, asked the Judge to consider his client’s early guilty plea; stating that there was no evidence of grooming.
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Kissoon said that he had considered the seriousness and prevalence of the offence of rape against children, the age-difference, and the impact the incident has had on the survivor and her family.
Justice Kissoon pointed out that Barker’s explanation to the court of being unaware “that the girl was so young;” was “unacceptable” and “inexcusable.”
The Judge said that persons providing such public services are held to a higher standard because of the trust their passengers would repose in them.
The state’s case was presented by prosecutors Nafeeza Baig and Latifah Elliot.
