Forty-eight-year-old Jegede Hodge of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara was on Thursday sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16 years old. He was found guilty of the offences by a jury in November but the sentencing was deferred to Thursday.
Convicted rapist Jegede Hodge
The man was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child between May 1 and 31, 2014. The child was 13 at the time. However, in 2015, he committed the act twice between January 21 and December 31. She was 14 at the time.
As the child turned 16, he again raped her between September 1 and 30, 2017. For the first charge, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall sentenced Hodge to 18 years’ imprisonment and another 20 years for the second.
She further imposed a 22-year sentence for the third charge and 25 for the last. The sentences will run concurrently, hence, he will only serve 25 years. During his address to the court, he begged for forgiveness.
The victim, in a statement to the court, said she is still traumatised by the incidents and at times thought about ending her life. She also stated that she was disappointed that her mother did not believe her when she confided in her.
The young lady noted that the convicted rapist collected her from school and took her to various locations where he would commit the act. The statement also revealed that the victim had pleaded with the man to use a condom to prevent her from getting pregnant. The State was represented by Prosecutors Teriq Mohamed and Nafeeza Baig, while Ravindra Mohabir represented the accused.
