Jail for molester who “interfered” with five-year-old girl three years ago

High Court Judge Pamela Beckles on Thursday sent a “strong message” to a molester that crimes against this nation’s children will “not be tolerated”.

Oswald Dacosta Forde of Lodge Road, Christ Church today began serving a two-year, 243 days jail sentence at Dodds Prison for committing an act of serious indecency on a five-year-old girl on January 12, 2018.

The sentence was the balance of a five-year starting point imposed on him for the crime.

Madam Justice Beckles said: “Having regard to the seriousness of this offence and bearing in mind the need to maintain public confidence in the administration of justice and the need for a strong message to be sent to society that this type of behavior will not be encouraged or tolerated, the court considered that five years is an appropriate starting point.”

The No. 5 Supreme Court previously heard from Crown Counsel Danielle Mottley that the girl knew the then 58-year-old Forde as he was in a habit of doing chores around the yard for her grandmother.

On that day she was standing at her home on the steps when he signaled for her to come to him. She did not comply and as a result he held her by her foot and pulled her causing her to fall down the step. He them pulled the child by the hand, took her to the back of the house and then proceeded to touch her inappropriately and kiss her.

Immediately following the ordeal, the little girl informed her grandmother about what had happened. Her parents were notified.

Justice Beckles pointed to the disparity in ages as an aggravating feature of Forde’s crime pointing to the child’s “youth and vulnerability” and the effect the offence has had on her. The judicial officer also pointed to the force used by the convict after the child refused to go with him.

“You pulled her by her leg causing her to fall and you took her behind the house and you interfered with her,” Beckles said adding that she could find no mitigating factors in relation to the offence.

However, going in Forde’s favour was his guilty plea, his relatively clean criminal record – he has a 20-year-old conviction for cannabis – his cooperation with police, his expression of remorse, favourable pre-sentencing report and his mental disorder.

A psychiatric evaluation requested by the court revealed that Forde had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. His condition is managed with medication but he is known to relapse when he defaults on follow-up care. However the judge said it did not affect his ability to plea to the charge and to instruct his legal counsel Rasheed Belgrave as the report stated that he had been found to be “fully oriented” with no signs of psychiatric illness and having sound judgement. He was assessed as being fit to enter a plea.

Given those mitigating factors Justice Beckles decreased the five-year starting sentence by one year. She then credited Forde with a one third discount for his guilty plea leaving him with 973 days or two years, 243 days left to serve at the prison. He had spent no time on remand in connection to the offence.

The judge also ordered that during Forde’s incarceration and in an aim to rehabilitate him, he must undergo psychiatric, psychological interventions, counseling and programmes as recommended by the prison’s psychologist. This she explained is to assist him with his mental disorder and to develop his interpersonal relations as well as address any areas of concern identified by the expert.

When Forde was arrested he admitted that he knew the child was about four or five years old.

“I did it. I don’t know why. Let me apologize. I sorry for troubling [her]. I don’t know what get in my head to do that to she but I real sorry. She father beat me for she.

“I don’t know why I do that but it was a big mistake . . . I don’t want to go back there,” he said back then.

In a brief address before Justice Beckles on Monday the molester again apologized and said: “I am sorry for what I have done. I would never do it again.”