By Zaya Williams

A man in his late 20s has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for engaging in two instances of sexual intercourse with his niece and inappropriately touching her.

The accused- whose name cannot be disclosed to protect the entity of the victim-was charged with one count of indecent assault and two counts of incest. The sentences were made to run concurrently, and the time he spent on remand will be deducted by the prison authorities.

He stood trial before Justice Ann Marie Smith and was found guilty by a jury.

The victim, who was 12 years old at the time, shared a room with her 24-year-old uncle but had separate beds.

They lived together with their grandmother and other family members, with the victim’s grandmother having taken her in since she was three years old.

In 2019, the young girl woke up to find her uncle on top of her, gyrating. She immediately reported the incident to her grandmother, who confronted the defendant. He denied the allegations and was temporarily removed from the household.

In November 2020, another incident occurred when the girl was asleep and woke up to her uncle having sexual intercourse with her. She pushed him away, and he pretended to be asleep.

Due to her grandmother not being home, she waited until morning to inform her about the incident. The defendant was again accused and removed from the house.

The final incident took place on June 28, 2021, when the girl returned home after visiting her mother.

The defendant inappropriately touched her and forced her into sexual intercourse. She chose to confide in her aunt, who then informed the grandmother.

The grandmother confronted the defendant, and he admitted to touching her breasts but denied the other allegations. She beat him and took the young girl to the police station.