Ex-cops who raped woman at Police Station jailed for 25 years

The Demerara High Court has handed a 25-year prison sentence to each of two former Policemen who raped a woman at the Turkeyen Police Station.
The punishment was on Thursday imposed by Justice Jo Ann Barlow on 29-year-old Delon Chapman and 35-year-old Leon Ashby.

Details of their conviction state that on January 1, 2018, in the county of Demerara, they engaged in sexual penetration of the woman without her consent.
At the start of their trial, they had pleaded not guilty to the joint charge, but following deliberations on September 27, a 12-member jury unanimously found them guilty of the offence.
At about 01:13h on New Year’s Day 2018, the woman had left her Sophia, Greater Georgetown home and had gone to the Police Station to make a report against a man who had thrown a squib at her son’s face.
After lodging the report, she had requested to use the washroom, and was guided to the upper flat of the building.
Chapman, the jury heard, had taken the woman upstairs and pointed her to a hallway, where she did not see a toilet, but instead two bathrooms that were under construction. After the woman had used the bathroom, Chapman had followed her up the stairs and grabbed her by the neck.
The jury was told that he had “viced” the woman from behind and told her, “You gotto get f***.”
The victim said Ashby, who was there, fetched her into a room and placed her on a mattress on a spring bed. She said she was placed to lie on her belly. She recounted that Ashby then pulled down her underwear and raped her. The ordeal lasted for about 20 minutes.
According to the victim, Ashby then grabbed her neck, while Chapman mounted her and raped her for about 10 minutes.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, State Counsel Sarah Martin, who had led the case for the prosecution, urged the court, when considering an appropriate sentence, to consider the serious nature and prevalence of the offence, as well as the manner in which the former Policemen had committed the crime.
Prosecutor Martin also asked the court to consider the fact that Chapman and Ashby were serving members of the Guyana Police Force, who had sworn to serve and protect, “but did the complete opposite”.
For his part, their defence lawyer Ravindra Mohabir, in a plea in mitigation, had told the court that his clients are suitable candidates for rehabilitation, given their youthfulness. Counsel submitted that his clients’ children would be gravely impacted by their incarceration. The lawyer also reported that none of his clients have prior antecedents.
“It is my respectful submission that this honourable court pass sentence that is in keeping with both the victim – what the victim has passed through – and balance that also with these mitigating circumstances,” Mohabir added.
“I just want to say that I am innocent, and if this matter ever retry again, I just want y’all to understand that none of this never happened,” said Chapman in brief remarks to the court.
Ashby told Justice Barlow, “I have been a law-abiding citizen all my life. I have been in the Police Force for 12 years, and I have risked my life and a whole lot of things for the Force. This did not occur. When my family provides a lawyer and appeal this case, I hope you can retry this case and give me a fair retrial.”
Recapping the facts of the case, Justice Barlow noted that Ashby and Chapman lured the woman to a place where their unlawful acts could have gone undetected by other persons at the Police station. According to the Justice, the aggravating circumstances in this matter outweigh the mitigating circumstances.
Noting that Ashby and Chapman were serving Policemen at the time they had committed the offence, Justice Barlow pointed out that a serious breach of trust had occurred when “ranks sworn to serve and protect violated the woman in the manner she detailed”.
The Judge said the evidence revealed that the duo had threatened to kill the woman if she told anyone about the incident. “According to the victim impact statement, fear and anxiety still affect the virtual complainant’s life,” the High Court Judge outlined in her sentencing remarks.
After examining the case, the Judge said an appropriate starting sentence is 25 years’ imprisonment. Following this, the court went on to assess the probation reports in favour of the convicts, the victim impact statement, the plea in mitigation, as well as the statements made by the convicts. However, the court found no mitigating factors to adjust the sentence downwards.
“There was a total lack of remorse, as both [convicts] indicate that they have not committed this offence,” the Judge has said.
Further, the Judge noted that the court cannot consider hardships that may occur due to the convicts’ incarceration. She said those hardships would have to be treated by family members who can assist.
In the circumstances, the rape convicts were each sentenced to a term of 25 years in prison. Justice Barlow has ordered that the men are to undergo counselling tailored for persons convicted of sexual offences during their incarceration.
Chapman and Ashby had each been placed on $80,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of their trial. (G1)