Child rapist, pornographer to spend seven more years for 2008 crime 

A 57-year-old Beckles Road man who 14 years ago raped a boy, filmed the act and collected pornographic images of the child among hundreds of explicit pictures of young males was Friday jailed for the next seven years and 141 days.

The sentence was handed down to Stephen Ian Rock by Justice Christopher Birch in the No. 5A Supreme Court.

Rock, of Pipers Avenue, had been found guilty of the July 18, 2008, offence of serious indecency against a minor and possession of indecent photographs of a child.

Rock’s lawyer Asante Brathwaite had previously asked the court to look at a starting point of five years for the indecent assault conviction and a fine or no more than six weeks in prison for possession of child pornography.

But prosecutor Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis had suggested a 10-year starting point for the indecent assault charge and three years for having the photographs in his possession.

In handing down his decision, Justice Birch said only a custodial sentence would suffice.
He pointed out that the maximum sentence of 15 years for indecent assault and five years for possession of the photographs were not contemplated in this case, as he noted several “highly aggravating” factors.

Justice Birch said: “Given the nature of the charges for which Mr Rock is convicted and the circumstances in which they took place Mr Rock cannot avoid a custodial sentence for the matters before the court. A non-custodial sentence would serve not only to trivialize the trauma suffered by the victim but would send a message to society at large that matters involving the exploitation of children are not given the due gravity that they deserve.

“I consider a start point of ten years to be appropriate in this case. The convicted man could be said to have gained the trust of the victim and his mother with the offer of employment, then proceeded to take advantage of the victim to an unacceptable and gravely illegal level.

“The fact that this sexual activity was not only repeated on several occasions but was then exploited by the taking of compromising and indecent photographs of the victim, whether for prurient or commercial gain is a highly aggravating factor not to be overlooked.

“Furthermore, the impact on the victim went far beyond the sexual acts. It is clear from the record in the preliminary enquiry and again from the demeanour of the victim in giving his testimony before the jury that he continues to suffer from severe trauma and psychological damage arising from the actions of the convicted man.

“In relation to the photographs, the fact that the convicted man was found in possession of over 700 similar photos including those taken of the victim arrives at a presumption that the convicted man was engaged in this activity to an alarming degree.”

Rock had also tried to blame the victim for the acts that had occurred and had shown little remorse for his victim, the judge said.

He acknowledged, though, that Rock had no previous convictions and was abused as a young man as indicated in the pre-sentencing report.

This was factored into the judge’s decision to shave two years off the 10-year starting point due to the fact that the case had been heard 14 years after the first alleged offence and 10 years after the case was indicted.

He then sentenced Rock to eight years for indecent assault and 3 years for possession of photographs, to run concurrently.

But that sentence was reduced by 224 days given the time spent on remand and delays in sentencing due to the court’s closure for the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving him to serve seven years, 141 days.

The court heard that Rock, an entrepreneur, had hired the minor with his mother’s consent to help with small tasks and agreed to pay the boy for his work.

When those payments did not materialize, the boy went to Rock’s workplace to inquire about them.

When he was confronted, Rock told him that he did not have the money. He then pulled the boy to the ground, pulled down his trousers and engaged in oral sex.

On another occasion, the boy said he went to Rock’s workplace and saw him looking at photographs on a computer screen. It was then he told his mother about what happened.

During a third attempt to get his money the boy said Rock sexually assaulted him and recorded the incident on a webcam.

That webcam when seized by police was found to contain 721 explicit photos of young males, including the victim.