Rapist seeking to overturn conviction, 28-year jail sentence

The Guyana Court of Appeal is slated to commence arguments on Thursday in an appeal filed by a convicted child rapist who is seeking to have his 28-year jail sentence set aside. In April 2018, 28-year-old Colvin Norton was jailed after being found guilty by a jury of raping a six-year-old girl.
The charges against Norton had stated that he sexually penetrated the child on August 1, 2013, and then again on August 6 of that same year in Demerara. He was 19 years old at the time.
For the first count, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison, however, on the second count, trial Judge Jo Ann Barlow added four more years for aggravating factors, thereby sentencing him to 28 years. The two sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

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 child, he told her not to tell anyone as her mother would not believe her. It was also revealed that he threatened the girl, that if she told her mother, he would kill both her and her mother.
In the child’s impact statement, she expressed that she still gets flashbacks about the incident which she blamed for causing a decline in her grades at school.
At first, she said she felt sad and as though she was the cause of it happening. However, after realising that she was not the only child who had something like this happen to them, and that Norton will be punished, the girl said was not ashamed anymore.
High Court Judge Jo Ann Barlow, in sentencing the convict, considered his age at the time of the commission of the offence, but stressed that it was not an excuse for violating the young girl.
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.
Justice Barlow also expressed hope for the child to continue receiving counselling. (G1)