By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A NINE-year prison sentence for a man who pleaded guilty to multiple violent crimes, including the rape of an elderly woman, sparked outrage from female Free National Movement (FNM) members yesterday, with Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis calling the outcome “appalling”.

However, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe noted that sexual offences often have high acquittal rates, implying that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions may have considered several factors and found the plea arrangement acceptable.

Joel Strachan, 22, pleaded guilty to rape, housebreaking, four counts of armed robbery, and assault with intent to rape as part of a plea deal, according to the Nassau Guardian. He raped an 83-year-old woman in June after breaking into her home in Bain Town, committing both anal and vaginal assault. His sentences of nine, seven, six, and two years in prison will be served concurrently.

Senator Barnett-Ellis said the sentencing represents an “affront” to the victims and a failure of the justice system to protect women and hold violent offenders accountable.

“The brutal assault of an elderly woman, in addition to other acts of violence, demands the harshest penalties under the law,” she said in a statement. “To grant such leniency is a betrayal of the victims and a signal that violence against women, no matter how horrific, is not taken with the seriousness it deserves. This man’s actions have left lasting scars on his victims, yet the sentence handed down does not reflect the severity of these crimes.”

“We must remember that every day this man spends in prison is a day too few for the lives he has devastated. Our justice system must do better in sending a clear message that violence against women, particularly against the most vulnerable in our society, will be met with swift and uncompromising consequences. I stand with the victims.”

Meanwhile, the Free National Movement Women’s Association called Strachan’s sentencing a “grave miscarriage of justice”, adding that it sends a troubling message that violence against women is not met with rigorous legal consequences.

According to the Penal Code, people convicted of rape could face imprisonment ranging from 15 years to life, while housebreaking convictions carry a sentence of up to 14 years.

In the last decade, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution has placed greater focus on plea deals, agreements between a prosecutor and a defendant where the accused agrees to plead guilty to a particular charge in return for a concession. There were 41 plea deals in 2016; 96 in 2017; 72 in 2018; 62 in 2019 and 13 in 2020. More recent statistics were not available up to press time.

Mr Munroe told ZNS yesterday that a request could be made to the office of the DPP for the reason for the plea agreement. He noted the law permits them to inform the victim about the terms of the plea.

He also emphasised the potential connection between plea agreements and the strength of the evidence.

“There are a number of cases that people don’t plead to and then they’re acquitted,” he said. “The acquittal rate in sexual offences is very high. If there is an evaluation by the office of the DPP that to get a guaranteed conviction and spare an 84-year-old lady from having to relive her trauma in court is appropriate, that would be a matter to inquire of the DPP.”