A man sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting his two young female relatives, aged six and eight, in Manchester more than seven years ago, is to serve nearly the full term before becoming eligible for parole.The man, whose name has been withheld to protect the identities of the children, was found guilty in March of three counts each of grievous sexual assault and sexual touching as well as four counts of sexual intercourse with a person under 16 following a two-week trial at the Manchester Home Circuit Court.However, he was sentenced yesterday in the Home Circuit Court by Justice Grace Henry McKenzie.He was ordered to serve five years and six months each for sexual touching, and 18 years and six months each on the other counts. The judge ordered that all sentences run concurrently.She also ordered that he is to serve 18 years and four months in prison before being considered for parole.Time already spent in custody was deducted, resulting in a six-month reduction.In sentencing, McKenzie considered several mitigating factors, including the offender’s good community record, his lack of prior convictions, his age, and the fact that he had a young dependent.However, aggravating factors included the prevalence and seriousness of the offences, the age of the complainants, the fact that the incidents occurred in the offender’s home, the multiple counts, the familial relationship between the parties, the breach of trust, and the repeated nature of the abuse.Attorney-at-law Ashford Meikle, representing the defendant, had urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, citing his client’s clean record and positive character references.Residents from two communities where the man had lived, in the social inquiry report, reportedly described him as a generally law-abiding and respectful individual.SHOCKING ALLEGATIONSSome of his relatives and community members expressed shock at the allegations and, in some cases, largely expressed support for him
