A 39-year-old St Michael man has been remanded to Dodds Prison after he confessed to committing multiple acts of incest against his then 12-year-old daughter.
Appearing before Madam Justice Wanda Blair on Monday in the No. 4A Supreme Court, the man pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with the child on three occasions between October 1, 2018, and November 7, 2018, and between November 7, 2018, and December 31, 2018, knowing that she was his daughter.
Reading the complainant’s statement, Senior State Counsel Joyann Catwell who prosecuted the matter along with State Counsel Maya Kellman said that on the first occasion, the girl, who lived with her parents, was feeling unwell and her father told her to stay home from school. Her mother had already left home. When the girl got out of bed, her father called her into his bedroom and told her to lie down next to him. After she did so, he began massaging her. He removed his pants and her clothes and forced himself on her. Later that afternoon, her father called her out of her bedroom and into his, told her he would give her money, “overpowered” her and raped her again.
The child did not tell anyone about the incidents as she believed she was at fault and felt ashamed and afraid.
Weeks later, she was getting ready for school when he told her to stay home and had sex with her while ignoring her pleas for him to stop.
One day, after she saw her father looking as though he wanted to have sex with her, the girl told her best friend who encouraged her to tell her mother and to come over to her house until her mother came home. The girl escaped the house, went over to her friend and sent a message to her mother via Whatsapp, telling her what had occurred. Her mother confronted her father and he moved out two days later.
In his statement to police, the man, whom attorney Martie Garnes represented, said he was going through issues with his family as bills were not being paid on time, things were not being done in the house, and the relationship between him and his children’s mother was on the decline.
He recalled that on the morning of the first incident, after crying and feeling like he was “losing” himself, he called his daughter into his room and “the next thing I knew, I was naked with my daughter”.
“I asked myself what happened and what did I just do. I could not believe what was going on. I asked myself what would have caused me to do such a thing. It had bother me for days. I told myself I must tell her mother what happened, but I kept hearing a voice in my head saying ‘don’t say anything’,” he stated.
He also told police that he had been alone with his daughter many times before and never had thoughts of doing anything like that. He said he felt manipulated and controlled by the voice in his head, which grew stronger and more persistent.
The man also admitted to the police he was unsure how many times he had sex with his daughter.
Speaking in the court on Monday, the man said, “I am honestly, truly very sorry for what happened . . . . I am a family-oriented man. I had a mental break. Something wasn’t right. I would never cause harm to my children because I love them.”
Justice Blair ordered a pre-sentence report and sent the man to undergo psychiatric and psychological evaluation.
The matter was adjourned until September 9.
