…“I feel really messed up about what happened to me” – victim
…“I see no basis for showing you mercy” – Judge tells accused
By Shemuel Fanfair
Following a series of attacks on a young victim, Rohan Daniels, a logger, also known as “Shine Buck” was on Wednesday evening found guilty on two counts of sexual activity with a child family member by a 12-member jury at the High Court. The panel deliberated for about three hours and they were tasked with handing a verdict on four separate counts of child sex activity.
An 11-1 proportion found him guilty on the first count and a proportion of 10-2 determined that he was guilty on the third count. However, on the second count, the jury was unable to return a formal verdict (9-3 proportion), while he was unanimously found not guilty on the fourth count.
Guilty! Logger Rohan Daniels was found guilty on two counts of child sexual activity
According to the particulars of the first and fourth counts for which he was found guilty, “Shine Buck” between April 12 and 13, 2014, and July 23, 2016 performed vaginally penetrative acts on the minor. She was between 10 and 13 years old during the span of the attacks.
After hearing the jury’s decision, Daniels with a stony appearance was unrepentant when the court enquired if he had anything to say. “I am not guilty of this act; that’s all, thank you,” the soon to be convicted man related.
A relative of the Virtual Complainant read out the girl’s statement in court where the child outlined that she lives in discomfort and harbours difficulty relating to males. According to the victim, since the sexual abuse, she often has nightmares and bad dreams with constant flashbacks of the harrowing attacks inflicted upon her. She said she does not play with friends and spends much time self-harming herself.
“I want him to go away for life and I want him to die there; he will be judged by God. I want all men when they see people’s girl children, they must leave them alone,” the victim stressed.
“I feel messed up about what happened to me,” she added. During the trial, it was highlighted that the victim’s mother had walked in when one of the illegal acts were being committed.
In handing down the sentence, Sexual Offences Court Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall observed that she considered the nature of the offences, the circumstances under which the acts were committed and that the accused violated the child in the presence of other siblings and also when the victim’s mother was away at work.
Justice Ramlall stressed that Daniels expressed no remorse after being found guilty and said she saw no basis for the court to show him mercy. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count and the prison terms will run concurrently. The accused who attempted to shield his face with a book while being led away by Police will at the very least spend the next 40 years behind bars before he has the chance to be paroled.
