Six years prison for child rape ‘wholly inadequate’
A six-year jail term for a child rape conviction was “manifestly inadequate” the Supreme Court ruled as it moved to increase the jail time to nine years, it emerged on Tuesday.
Judges placed a lot of weight on the fact that the convict filmed the crime.
The case concerns a man who was convicted in 2019 by Paphos criminal court for raping a minor who was visiting Cyprus on holiday with her family from the UK.
He was handed six years for each count of rape, child sexual abuse and indecent assault. The Supreme Court ruled that was “manifestly inadequate” and moved to increase the term for the first charge to nine years.
For the sexual abuse charge, the five-year jail time was increased to six.
The sentences run concurrently.
The victim lived in the UK and would visit Paphos with her family. While in Cyprus in 2018 and staying with her aunt, she met the convict, aged 19 at the time, and they would spend time together.
The convict told the aunt he was attracted to the youngster but the aunt explained she was only 14.
According to the court, the convict then began messaging her on Snapchat and Instagram.
On two separate occasions, the 20-year-old asked her for nude pictures, to which she refused. He presented himself as a good friend so as to gain her trust.
In 2019, before the teenage girl came to Cyprus, the convict, then aged 20 texted her to suggest a meeting in August.
Late on August 19, he picked her up from her apartment and they drove to the beach.
He raped her and later told court it was consensual, arguing she asked him to send her the video he had.
The girl reported the crime to the Rape Crisis Centre in London seeking help. She was advised to go to a doctor in Cyprus, but she said she was scared and did not want her mother to find out.
“Taking into account the facts surrounding the case, the age of the victim, the advantage the convict took of their relationship of trust, we conclude the sentences on four charges do not properly reflect the seriousness of the crimes and are deemed manifestly inadequate,” the Supreme court said.