Teacher facing jailtime in Bermuda for sexual offences

…previously faced rape charges in Guyana

A former teacher, who was cleared of sexual misconduct charges in Guyana over a decade ago, now faces jail time in Bermuda after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences.

Ronald Forde, 38, admitted last week in Bermuda’s Supreme Court to sexually exploiting a young girl while in a position of trust, luring a minor, and accessing child pornography. The offences are believed to have occurred earlier this year.
Forde, a Guyanese residing in Southampton, Bermuda was scheduled for sentencing last week. However, Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe granted an adjournment at the request of Forde’s defence attorney, Elizabeth Christopher, citing the need to fully consider the gravity of the offences.
The prosecution has called for a significant sentence, with Cindy Clarke, Bermuda’s Director of Public Prosecutions, noting that this case could establish a sentencing precedent for luring offences involving individuals in positions of trust. Under Bermuda’s Criminal Code, amended in 2020, luring a minor while in a position of trust carries a maximum penalty of 15 years on indictment.
Forde is now set to return to court on December 11 for sentencing. In the interim, he has been remanded in custody.
This is not the first time Forde has faced allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2012, he was discharged in Guyana after being accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old student at the Fort Wellington Secondary School, where he taught. The charges were dismissed on a legal technicality after Guyana’s acting at the time Chief Justice Ian Chang ruled that the preliminary inquiry was unconstitutional under the country’s Sexual Offences Act.
The ruling nullified the proceedings and led to Forde’s discharge, though Justice James Bovell-Drakes had acknowledged that Forde could be recharged. At the time, the allegations involved claims of penetrative sexual activity with a minor while Forde held a position of trust.