Taxi operator found guilty of abducting, raping 11-year-old St Thomas girl
Published:Friday | July 28, 2017 | 5:25 PM
A St Thomas taxi operator was today convicted of forcible abduction and rape of an 11-year-old girl.
It took a seven-member jury 20 minutes to return a unanimous guilty verdict against Delton Smikle in the St Thomas Circuit Court.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22 in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston by High Court judge, Justice Sonia Wint Blair.
Prosecutors Andrea Martin Swaby and Judi-Ann Edwards led evidence that Smikle was hired to transport the victim and her sisters to school daily.
However, on November 28, 2012 Smikle reportedly dropped off the victims' elder sisters at their school before driving her to his home.
Prosecutors say he pulled the victim, who was the head girl at her school, into his house and had sexual intercourse with her.
The girl reported the incident to her family who confronted the accused, who according to prosecutors, offered to purchase a cellular phone in exchange for them not reporting the matter to the police.
The matter was reported to the police and Smikle was later arrested and charged.