A 61-year-old man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at the New Year’s Junkanoo Parade.
Assistant Chief Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans arraigned Ernst Thompson on a charge of indecent assault.
While attending Junkanoo on Bay Street, Thompson reportedly inappropriately touched the teenager’s breast.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and apologised for his behaviour.
Thompson claimed he mistook the girl for his niece and was only reaching for her shoulder. He added that the girl’s father confronted him after the incident.
Prosecutor Inspector Deon Barr disclosed that Thompson had prior charges of a similar nature, including the rape of a 38 year old woman in August 2021.
Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans strongly admonished the defendant for his actions and sentenced him to 18 months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
She also ordered Thompson to pay $2,500 in compensation to the complainant’s father or face an additional month in prison.
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