Telling a man who raped a 14-year-old schoolgirl, that his actions were “abhorrent” and deserving of the strongest condemnation, Madam Justice Wanda Blair on Friday jailed him for the 2017 crime.
She imposed a starting sentence of 10 years in prison on Jermaine Christopher Ellis but with several deductions made, he has four years and seven months to spend behind bars.
Sentencing him, Justice Blair said: “You violated her when she was in her school clothes, when she should have been at school, and you tried to cover your tracks by giving her tablets to abort her baby which resulted in physical and psychological trauma to her. This is a particularly aggravating factor which cannot be minimised.”
Ellis, of Hindsbury Road, St Michael, had admitted that between October 1 and 31, 2017, he had sexual intercourse with a girl who had attained the age of 14 but had not yet attained the age of 16. He was 30 at the time.
“I daresay you are fortunate that this is the only charge you are facing,” the judge told Ellis as he stood in the dock of the No. 3A Supreme Court.
“Sexual offence with a minor is one of the most serious offences that can be committed against a child and therefore the penalty should be commensurate with the serious nature of the offence,” Justice Blair continued, noting the profound harm and long-lasting effects of such a crime.
She insisted that only a custodial sentence would meet justice in the matter and maintain the public’s confidence in the system.
The judge agreed with the aggravating factors of the offence outlined by Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell who prosecuted the matter and King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim who represented the now-convicted man.
These included the complainant’s age, her vulnerability, the force used during the incident, that the intercourse was unprotected, the emotional and physical trauma experienced by the girl during the offence and in aborting the pregnancy, and the prevalence of such offences in society.
Ellis’ early guilty plea, previously clean record, low risk of reoffending and below-average risk of sexual recidivism were considered mitigating factors.
His early guilty plea, time spent on remand, mitigating factors and the delay in the matter being brought to trial were taken into account in the final sentence.
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