BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — A Belizean High Court judge has sentenced a man to more than 20 years in jail after he was found guilty on three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced Jeffery Pott of Corozalito Village, a mainland village in Belize District, to 20 years and five months in prison after he was found guilty of having sex with a 13-year-old girl twice in 2021 and 2022, and again when she was 14 years old.

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In sentencing him, Pilgrim said he had considered both aggravating and mitigating factors and referenced Section 47-1-29 of the Belize criminal code, which states that anyone who has sex with someone under 16 years, with or without consent, commits an offence punishable by a minimum of 20 years, up to life imprisonment.

For those who have sex with someone between 14 years to 16 years, the punishment ranges from five to 10 years.

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The judge said that he also took into account the new sentencing guidelines of the Senior Courts of Belize that came into effect in January this year.