Man in Belize jailed for over 20 years for having sex with minor

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC - A High Court judge has sentenced a resident of Corozalito Village, a mainland village in the Belize district, to more than 20 years in jail after he was found guilty on three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced Jeffery Pott, to 20 years and five months in prison after he was found guilty of having sex with a 13 year-old girl twice in 2021 and 2022, and again when she was 14 years old.

In sentencing him, Justice Pilgrim said he had considered both aggravating and mitigating factors and referenced Section 47-1-29 of the criminal code, which states that anyone who has sex with someone under 16 years, with or without consent, commits an offense punishable by a minimum of 20 years, up to life imprisonment.

For those who have sex with someone between 14 years to 16 years, the punishment ranges from five to 10 years.

The judge said that he also took into account the new sentencing guidelines of the Senior Courts of Belize that came into effective in January this year.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on X @JamaicaStar and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar