Belize: Father arrested after pleading guilty to sexual assault of 18-year-old daughter

Belize: A 42-year old father from Belize City has been arrested by the Central Prison of Belize after he pleaded in court to the charge of sexual assault of his 18-year old daughter. The incident has shocked the community and also brought forward issues of family safety and alcohol abuse.

The man appeared before the Senior Magistrate’s Court at Court #2 on Wednesday evening, where he faced trial for a single charge of sexual assault. It was reported to the court that the incident took place on July 28, 2025. The father was accused of touching the teenage daughter inappropriately while she was at home asleep.

During the hearing, the accused confessed to his guilt. He informed the court that he was drunk at the time of the attack. The Senior Magistrate listened to him and adjourned the matter to Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

This move was taken in order to give the defendant time to produce character witnesses who might be able to present a better picture of him when it came time to reach the final judgement.

Under the law of Belize, sexual assault is a crime which is punished by a term of up to 5 years in prison. As for what specific sanction will be imposed, that depends on a number of things including such things as the prior criminal record of the defendant. It may well weigh heavily in the court’s final decision that the victim is his very own daughter.

The father is currently being held at the Belize Central Prison as he awaits his sentence. This case will end, but it will send a signal about how the nation addresses sexual assault and the response of the justice system to it.