An uncle has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing his 12-year-old niece, as a High Court judge stressed that cognitive impairment does not excuse such offences and that the courts must send a strong deterrent message.

Acknowledging his cognitive impairments and psychological challenges, Justice Donna Babb-Agard informed the man who admitted to having sexual intercourse with the minor between September 1 and 30, 2020, knowing that she is his niece by blood relationship, that he was left with eight years and 307 days more to spend at Dodds after discounts for his guilty plea, mitigating factors and time on remand were taken into account.

“This psychological assessment indicates that at the time of your evaluation you seem completely unaware of the seriousness of your actions, and this particular feature in the case has taken it out of what would ordinarily be a particularly long period of imprisonment, and the court has to take this into consideration.