Despite being found guilty by a jury of his peers of raping an underage boy, 61-year-old Laldeo Jagdeo, a resident of Devonshire Castle, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) has continued denying his involvement in the crime.
Before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court in Essequibo on Wednesday, Jagdeo was convicted on three counts of rape of a child under the age of 16. The offences were committed between September and October 2019. At the time, the victim was 15 years old.
In her sentencing remarks, Justice Barlow told Jagdeo that he had violated a position of trust, since the boy had worked with him on weekends and holidays to earn some extra money. According to her, the child continues to suffer from psychological trauma.
As for Jagdeo, he maintained his innocence. “Ma’am, my erection gone since meh turn 55 years,” the remorseless rapist told the trial Judge.
In the end, Justice Barlow imposed a 13-year prison sentence on the convict in relation to the first and second counts respectively. She, however, increased his sentence on the third count to 15 years, noting that Jagdeo became brave in perpetuating the crime.
The three jail terms will run concurrently, which means that he would be imprisoned for 15 years.
The judge has also ordered that Jagdeo must undergo counselling tailored for sex offenders.
This is the third person who has been convicted for the offence of raping a child under the age of 16 this month. Earlier this month, a man was jailed for life, with no parole eligibility before he has served 18 years of that sentence, while another has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Both have been convicted of child rape.
In the first case, a life sentence has been imposed on 33-year-old Troy Chapman of Republic Avenue, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice), who raped a sleeping three-year-old.
When he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon in the Sexual Offences Court earlier this month, Chapman pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16. He committed the offence on June 15, 2021 at the toddler’s home.
Chapman was known to the child’s parents, and he regularly visited their home. On the day in question, the child was left in Chapman’s care, and while the child slept, he carried out the unlawful act. He was sentenced to life in prison.
In a separate matter, Andrew Blackman, 28, a construction worker of Wismar, Linden, Region 10, was handed a nine-year jail sentence for the rape of a 14-year-old girl.
Blackman, like Chapman, pleaded guilty to the offence of engaging in sexual penetration of a child below the age of 16. Blackman, who had known the teenager’s father for several years, committed the offence between September 10 and 11, 2021. It is alleged that he raped the girl while they were in an abandoned building.
