The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A RAPE convict asked a Supreme Court judge for leniency and help yesterday, minutes before he was sentenced to spend the next 15 years behind bars at Her Majesty's Prison. When Dameco Wallace pleaded guilty in September to a rape he committed in February, he was already serving 15 years on another rape conviction. Yesterday, he asked Senior Justice Jon Isaacs for mercy in terms of his sentence, and help while he serves his time. According to the evidence, on February 2 Wallace approached a young lady at a convenience store, and identifying himself as Solomon, offered her a part-time job with a $450 salary. After speaking with her mother, the young lady and Wallace caught buses, making their way to the Fox Hill area. After they entered an apartment, Wallace produced a knife and threatened to kill the girl before he raped her. The matter was reported to police and Wallace was arrested, questioned and later identified during an identification parade. At the time, Wallace denied the allegation and claimed the sex between himself and the virtual complainant was consensual. He also denied threatening her with a knife, which he said he carried for protection. When given the opportunity by Senior Justice Isaacs to speak yesterday, the convict told the judge that the last time he was before the court, he shared some of his "personal life experiences". He said: "I'm asking you to see how lenient you can be and see that I could get some sort of help while I'm incarcerated." Senior Justice Isaacs noted the submissions made by the convict and sentenced him to 15 years on the basis that he had not wasted the court's time and only a short amount of time had passed between yesterday's sentencing and the one in July. The judge ruled that Wallace is to receive counselling while in prison. Wallace served of a number of years in prison after he was convicted of attempted rape in 1997 and convicted of rape in 2008.