Rapist gets two decades behind bars

A Skeete’s Road, Garden Land, St Michael man has been sentenced to 24 years for raping, buggering, and kidnapping a woman in 2010.

But after several deductions were made and having already spent 2 326 days on remand, Derrick Ward now has 1 473 more days to serve behind bars.

Ward had confessed to rape and buggery of a woman between July 21 and 22, 2010, assaulting her on July 21; and detaining her against her will at Skeete’s Road, Garden Land, with intent to have unlawful sexual intercourse with her.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Randall Worrell agreed with the submissions of Senior State Counsel Romario Straker that the offences could only be dealt with by a custodial sentence and should start at no less than 24 years.

The judge said: “A firearm was involved. You accepted what was said by the complainant about what she would have endured. She was crying. She also indicated that the act of unlawful sexual intercourse was without protection, so all of these were aggravating features. She said: ‘After that, he had sex with me several times throughout the night until morning. I do not know how much times he had sex with me.’ So it was repeated. All of these things, Mr Ward, the court has to take under consideration.”

Justice Worrell reduced the starting sentence by two years and deducted time for his early guilty plea, time on remand, and delay.

Ward, who was already serving time at Dodds Prison on another conviction while this case was pending, was also credited for that period.

“You were lost in the system, and you cannot be penalised for being lost in the system,” Justice Worrell said.

Ward was also sentenced to four years for the assault, and after deductions were made, was deemed to have already served the sentence.

Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens represented Ward.