Dominica’s resident High Court Judge, Justice Colin Williams has imposed a term of imprisonment of 18 years against a former fire officer, George Andre Jr., who was convicted of Buggery of a minor boy. Andre Jr. was indicted on three counts of Buggery and one count of Unlawful Sexual Connection (USC) which occurred between September 30, 2020, and January 1, 2021.
According to Dominica News Online, The now-convicted man pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and as a result, the matter went to trial on October 30, 2023, with a nine-member jury, consisting of eight women and one man, empaneled to try the case. During the one-week trial, the State called several witnesses including the victim to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
At the conclusion of the trial on November 6, 2023, after deliberating for one hour and 30 minutes, the jury returned with a guilty verdict on the charges. Following Andre’s conviction, the Court immediately passed sentence. Pursuant to legislative provisions, the convicted man was liable to a minimum custodial sentence of 16 years, eight months, and a maximum of 25 years.
