By LR Liburd
St. Kitts-Nevis Observer
Dwight Wilson of Phillip’s Village was on Thursday (Mar. 17) sentenced to 18 years imprisonment with hard labour following his guilty plea to a number of sexual offences perpetrated against a female under 14 years.
On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, Wilson had appeared before Her Ladyship Justice Marlene Carter at the Basseterre High Court charged with Indecent Assault, two counts of Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Buggery. He pleaded guilty, was convicted on all charges and ordered to return for sentencing on Thursday (Mar. 10).
On Wilson’s return to the court last week, Justice Carter told him that the prosecutor had submitted submissions with regard to sentencing recommendations, which she pointed out she had only received earlier that morning.
The judge then asked the 32-year-old convicted child rapist if he had anything to say.
“I just want the court to have mercy on me; to give me a lesser sentence,” Wilson retorted. But the judge indicated to him that the matter was a very serious one and she would need time to consider the submissions on the law.
Her Ladyship then rescheduled his hearing for the following Thursday.
In handing down sentence, Justice Carter pointed out that even though evidence presented in court revealed that Wilson had engaged in multiple sex acts with the minor, she would only take the two instances for which he was charged into account.
She indicated that the sexual acts against the victim have left her psychologically and physically scarred for life, while stressing that individuals who sought to prey on the innocence of young children would not be tolerated by the court.
It was revealed that in her Impact Report that the little girl said “my fear now is how my future is destroyed by what he did.”
Details of the case state that Wilson was a regular visitor to the girl’s home since she was five years old due to a relationship he had with her older sister The relationship had ended but he continued to visit the home on a weekly basis and had lured the innocent child into a sexual relationship in September 2009.
The violation reportedly ended in December 2012, but two of the charges preferred against him indicated that he had engaged in unlawful carnal knowledge with the girl in March and April of These are the charges on which he was sentenced to 18 years with hard labour.
