Fifty-five-year-old Clefoster John was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on Friday for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl last year.
John pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual intercourse with a female under the age of 16.
The child developed a crack habit after running away from home.
The court heard John, who also had a crack habit in the early 1990s, understood her plight and decided to let her stay in his home where he gave her money and food.
John was 54 years old when he had sex with the child in Grays Farm on two different days in June of 2019.
He was aware of her age since he had known her for some years.
The defendant’s lawyer told the court his client was trying to help the girl and their relations grew close.
He added John was not trying to groom her or exploit her addiction for sex.
Justice Iain Morley assessed the crime was in the lowest consequence category, ‘Category 3’ and highest seriousness level, ‘Level A’ of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court sentencing guidelines for the offence.
He said he arrived at category 3 since category 1 and 2 factors were not present in the case.
The offence was assessed at level A because of the great disparity of age.
Category 3A put the starting sentence at 20% of the 10-year maximum, which is 2 years.
The judge said there was an aggravation since the child was particularly vulnerable due to being an addict, and there was ejaculation so the starting point was adjusted upwards by nine months to 33 months.
The sentence was later adjusted downwards to 18 months for each count after the court considered that John had no relevant previous convictions and he pleaded guilty.
The sentences were ordered to run concurrently since the offences were a part of the same event.
This means John will spend a total of 18 months in prison.
Source: Antigua News Room