Colvin Norton was on Tuesday found guilty by a 12-member jury on two counts of raping a six-year-old girl, whom he attempted to silence with death threats. The 24-year-old man was jailed for a total of 28 years by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Sexual Offences Court for illegals acts which occurred August 1, 2013, and just five days after on August 6, 2013 in the county of Demerara.
Jailed: Convicted child rapist, Colvin Norton
For the first count, he was sentenced to 24 years but on the second count, the Judge added four extra years for aggravation, thereby sentencing him to 28 years. In fact, during the trial the court heard that Norton was caught in the act by the child’s mother on the second occasion.
It was revealed that after he sexually penetrated the young child, he told her not to tell anyone as her mother would not believe her. The jury also considered that Norton later threatened the girl that if she told, he would kill both her and her mother.
In the child’s impact statement read out by her court support, Celeste Mullen of ChildLink Guyana Inc, stated that the child still has flashbacks to the time the incident occurred. Mullen also said she was so affected by Norton’s actions that even her grades started to slip at school.
“At first I felt sad and ashamed. After the incident, I felt that I was the cause of what happened…I deserve me innocence, I thought I was the only child in the world who had something like this happen but I later learned that this was not so. I am not so ashamed now as I know that Colvin Norton is being punished,” the girl who is a few years shy of being a teenager expressed.
Before Justice Barlow considered sentencing, the court inquired twice of the defendant if he had anything to add following the jury’s verdict. He however stated that he didn’t really know what to say at that moment. Later on, he did not offer any comment in mitigation. The Judge took into account that Norton was 19 years old at the time of the offences but stressed that it still was not an excuse for raping the child.
Justice Barlow considered that the offender breached the trust of the child’s mother who had entrusted him to care for not only the six-year old but others as well.
“Like a thief in the night, you violated a six-year-old,” the Judge remarked.
She also pointed out that Norton trying to silence the victim showed his total disregard for proper moral values. The Judge further noted that sexual offenders have issues with controlling their emotions and ordered that Norton undergo treatment under the sexual offender’s rehabilitation programme. She added that he should also take on programmes to improve his literacy. She also expressed hope for the child to continue receiving counselling.
Norton will be 52 years old before he is allowed to return to society. He was unrepresented as reports indicated that he could not afford the services of an attorney. State Prosecutors in this matter were Abigail Gibbs, Tiffini Lyken and Narissa Leander. (Shemuel Fanfair)
