A 19-year-old Cane Garden Resident has been charged with five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 years.
This is according to a media release from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force dated Wednesday September 8.
The release said officers of the Family and Juvenile Unit laid the charges against U.S citizen Kadeem Callwood who resides in the Second District.
He was granted bail in the sum of $15,000 and will appear before the Magistrate’s Court on October 15, where other charges are likely to be laid in this matter.
Head of the Family and Juvenile Unit Acting Inspector Kendolph Bobb issued a reminder to residents of the serious nature of such an offense.
He said the law is clear and severe when it comes to any kind of sexual contact with a minor.
“The Virgin Islands Criminal Code 1997 stipulates that any male over the age of 14 years commits an offense if he has sexual intercourse with a minor female. A girl under the age of 16 cannot consent to any form of sexual activity. Therefore, it is an offence for a male over the age of 14 to engage in sex or have any sexual contact with a girl under the age of 16. This is called statutory rape since, according to the law, the girl is considered to be too young to legally consent to have sex or sexual contact.” he said.
He added that parents, guardians, teachers, coaches, school bus drivers and leaders in youth groups are encouraged to share this message far and wide.
Inspector Bobb warned that offenders of this crime can be sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawful sexual intercourse, and stressed that ignorance of the law is not bliss in this case.