Twenty-Year Sentence for Deacon Convicted of Sexually Abusing Girl

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A church deacon is starting his 20-year sentence, convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl in New Providence.

Prosecutors say the 59-year-old man became the child’s caretaker along with his wife, her maternal aunt, following the death of her mother.

But instead of protecting her, the man allegedly raped the child on three occasions in January and February 2023.

His name has been withheld to protect the child’s identity.

The sexual assaults happened while his wife, who was left disabled as a result of a stroke, was in another room.

Justice Dale Fitzpatrick said the frequency of older men preying on young children required a “message of deterrence and denunciation by the courts.”

The man has maintained his innocence, claiming the child made up the abuse allegations because he was too strict.