Lavine sent to prison for kidnapping and molesting boy

Kidnapper and child molester Rawle Larenzo Lavine was on Wednesday sentenced to ten years in prison for a crime against a 13-year-old boy.

Of that sentence, Lavine, alias Mohamed, of Blackman Field, The Pine, St Michael, has six years and 159 more days to serve in jail for kidnapping the child on January 27, 2020. That’s after the 1 301 days he has already spent on remand were deducted.

The fisherman was also sentenced to four and a half years in prison for indecently assaulting the child on the mentioned date. Of that sentence, he has 342 more days to serve, which will run concurrently with the first. 

The first-time offender, assessed as being at a high risk of reoffending, had removed the child from Spry Street, The City, without the consent of his guardians and took him to his boat where he touched him inappropriately after threatening to kill him.

Lavine accused the child of lying.

“You continue to maintain your innocence in spite of the overwhelming evidence against you, not only with the CCTV footage of you walking with the complainant to your boat but the positive identification of you by the complainant and the evidence adduced which supports his version of the events that day,” Justice Pamela Beckles told the now 52-year-old man in the No 5 Supreme Court.

The judge pointed out that Lavine stated that the child told him he was 16 years old, but there was no evidence of that.

“It must have been apparent to you that the complainant was a young boy. He was wearing short khaki pants, which is not the attire of an older schoolboy, and he clearly does not appear to be an older child from the CCTV footage. Your threats to kill the complainant must have been terrifying to him, and this is why he said that he accompanied you.

“What could have been your motive for taking a young boy who you do not know or had received no permission from his guardians on your boat that morning? It clearly was for your sexual gratification, and that is exactly what you did,” Justice Beckles contended.

She also pointed out that the convicted man did not believe that he had done anything wrong and, therefore, there was no expression of remorse, which the judge said was his right.

Justice Beckles said with respect to rehabilitation and as a condition of the sentence imposed, Lavine would need to take “further steps to understand and address” the cause of his offending, as the psychologist was unable to say what interventions would assist in preventing a recurrence.

“Deterrence, general and specific denunciation, and just punishment are important sentencing conditions in offences of this nature,” she added as she brought an end to the matter. 

Principal State Counsel Krystal Delaney, State Counsel Tito Holder and Senior State Counsel Counsel Joyann Catwell prosecuted the case. 

Lavine was represented by attorneys-at-law Michael Lashley KC and Sade Harris.

Rawle Larenzo Lavine (FP)