Antigua: 63-year-old convicted for abusing teenager niece under his care

Antigua and Barbuda: A 63-year-old man has been convicted in the Antigua Court after he abused his wife’s 16-year-old niece, who was at that time living under his care. The local reports claim that the jury found him guilty for sexual intercourse with a minor and indecent assault.

According to the information by the police officials, the jury acquitted him for rape charges but found him guilty of sexual intercourse with a dependent. Police officials further said that his sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2025.

The prosecutor argued in a court that the16-year-old girl went to live with her aunt  and her husband back in 2018, where she considered the accused as her father. He further stated that after sometime her aunt’s husband started to visit her room at night.

The night visits went on for a few days but the man did not make any advances. Some time later, the suspect started touching her inappropriately while his own son was sleeping nearby.

In November 2018, the accused who was then 56, drove the teen girl to an isolated farm area where he started to threaten her to drive them both off a cliff if she didn’t cooperate with him, the prosecutor argued.

The victim then testified in the court that the accused forced himself on her sexually and asked her for sexual pleasure.

However, in his claims the accused said that the teenager initiated everything as she asked him to take her to see her boyfriend for which she offered sexual favors in exchange. The accused further stated that the teen later invited him to her room and began seducing him and a few moments later she asked for intercourse prompting him to take her to the farm.

Along with this he also claimed that the next day they went to the farm and upon reaching there, she herself initiated everything but nothing happened as ‘erectile dysfunction’ prevented penetration.

His wife also testified in the court to support this medical claim of his following which the jury acquitted him for the rape charges but held him guilty for having a sexual intercourse with a dependent. His sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2025 by the jury.