Man sentenced for having
intercourse with a minor
PHILIPSBURG--A 29-year-old man was sentenced in the Court of First Instance on Tuesday of having sexually abused a minor girl.
Marius Carty admitted that he had had intercourse with the girl between September 2006 and December 2007. The girl was 13 when the relationship started. The unlawful relationship was uncovered when the girl was admitted to Crystal Children’s Home.
The car mechanic told the court he had believed the girl was 16 when they started a relationship. The age of consent in the Netherlands Antilles is 15.
Prosecutor Dikran Sarian said this crime was morally reprehensible. “As an adult he should have known better than starting a relationship with this young girl, despite the fact that she had been encouraging him.”
He said a crime like this would require a lengthy prison sentence, but considering the suspect’s personal circumstances, his lengthy detention at the police station and the lack of cell space in the Pointe Blanche prison made him ask for a relatively mild punishment.
The Prosecutor asked the Judge for a 300-day prison sentence, 253 of which suspended, with two years’ probation and 240 hours of community service.
Attorney-at-law Ruby Fasten asked the Court to acquit her client of all charges because he had not been aware that the girl was a minor.
Judge Eunice Saleh said Carty should had verified the girl’s age before getting into a sexual relationship with her, and sentenced him to 210 days, 162 of which were suspended, with two years’ probation and 240 hours of community service.
This meant that Carty had already done his time and he was released from custody immediately.
