It has been recommended that persons who are found guilty of committing acts of sexual violence against the most vulnerable groups in the society be sentenced to a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years.
The recommendation was made by the Joint Select Committee, chaired by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck which reviewed the Sexual Offences Act, Offences Against The Person Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Child Care and Protection Act.
The parliamentary committee recommended that the provision be included in the Sexual Offences Act.
However, the committee decided against making a recommendation on sentencing for sexual offence cases, including those with aggravating factors to run consecutively versus concurrently which now exists.
It felt this should be left up to the discretion of the judge.
The argument presented during deliberations was that the sentences were too low.
It was also felt that plea bargaining further compounded the issue, as many victims felt they did not receive justice as the perpetrators were given discounted sentences when they pleaded guilty.
The parliamentary committee has also decided that changes should be made as it relates to the treatment of cases when a pregnant woman is murdered.
It has been recommended that Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act which deals with grievous bodily harm be amended, to expressly include the victim’s known or visible pregnancy as an aggravating factor in determining sentencing.
It was also agreed that the aggravating sentencing factor should not only cover pregnant women but also vulnerable persons such as the elderly, persons with disabilities and children.
So someone who commit a sex crime will be given more time than a murderer, remember that guy who walk into the room and smash the head of his pregnant girlfriend with a hammer while she was sleeping well he only got 15 years in prison this dont not make sense.
First mi a hear that story but that man should have gotten the death penalty!!!!!
I am big on love and forgiveness but …………….. as it relates to rape and murder i think they all need the death penalty.
why is it ok for you to rape and kill someone but u expect jail time (eating , drinking and living while the person dead.
I definitely couldn’t possess the power that God has cause all these killers and murders would get the death penalty, no trial, nothing.
Too much innocent ppl dead for nooooooooooooooooooooo reason.
A life dem fe get……a dat mi say!