Two sex offenders to know their fate next month

Two men will be sentenced in June on separate charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.

On Friday, May 6 Cassel Lavia was slated to be sentenced by Justice Brian Cottle on one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, as well as two counts of indecent assault.

The child in this case was nine when she was indecently assaulted on March 7, 2018 and raped and indecently assaulted on March 8, 2018.

The jury deliberated on the evidence presented by crown counsel, Allana Cumberbatch before delivering their guilty verdict on April 5, but due to the delay of a required report, Lavia will likely know his fate on June 3, 2022.

As the victim is under the age of 15, the indecent assault carries a maximum sentence of five years incarceration.

Under the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Criminal Code, heading “intercourse with a girl under 13”, it is outlined that “Any man who has sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of thirteen is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for life.”

Life is equated to a period of 30 years.

These were the possibilities that the offender faces as his sentences.

However, before the sentencing, a social inquiry report is done to aid the judge in the sentencing.

This report had yet to be prepared by May 6 and it was not certain what had hindered the procedure.

Therefore, checks will be made into the situation and the sentencing has been fixed for June 3.

In the other case 55 year old FitzAllan ‘Nealo’ Wickham answered to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13.

The first count carried a date unknown between December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2017; the second count occurred on a date unknown between December 31, 2017 and October 31, 2018; on the third count the assault happened on a date unknown between December 31, 2017 and October 31, 2018, and the fourth count alleged rape on a date unknown between October 31, 2018 and December 1, 2018.

Wickham pled ‘guilty’ to counts two and three and ‘not guilty’ on the first and fourth counts when he appeared in court on Friday, May 6.

The prosecution decided to withdraw two of the counts for which he entered not guilty pleas.

A social inquiry report will be prepared and the sentencing in this matter is also fixed for June 3.

[Updated at Friday, May 13 2022 at 9:56am to reflect that Lavia and not Cumberbatch will be awaiting sentence on June 3]