Prosecutor seeks 13-year sentence and $50,000 restitution in Barbados knifepoint rape case
A 69-year-old Barbados man convicted of raping a woman at knifepoint in her home faces a proposed 13-year starting sentence. The complainant is also requesting $50,000 compensation.
Prosecution pushes for prison and payout after St Philip knifepoint rape conviction
A prosecutor at Barbados's No. 4 Supreme Court is seeking a 13-year starting sentence and $50,000 in restitution for the victim of a knifepoint rape committed inside her own home, Barbados Today reports.
Keith Eric Eversley, 69, of Oak Leaf Villa, Mangrove Plantation, St Philip, was unanimously found guilty by a jury earlier this year of having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent — or being reckless as to whether she consented — on February 19, 2019.
The two had gone out together on the night in question. Eversley told the complainant he was too tired to leave and asked to stay over; she agreed. During the evening, he repeatedly demanded sex. She refused each time.
Evidence presented at trial showed Eversley then armed himself with a hammer and a knife and confronted the woman in front of her young son, who was a minor at the time. The boy retrieved a crowbar in an attempt to defend his mother, but Eversley took it from him and threatened to hurt him. His mother stepped in to shield the child. Eversley then moved the woman to the living room, left the boy in the bedroom, and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint.
Prosecution: aggravating factors justify uplift
Acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod told the court that the offence had crossed the custodial threshold. He described rape as "an invasion of a person's dignity and privacy with long-lasting effects on a victim" and proposed a 13-year starting point.
Prescod identified several aggravating factors: Eversley used deception to gain access to the woman's home, struck her on the head with a hammer, carried out the assault in what should have been the safety of her own residence, and subsequently blamed her for what had occurred. Those factors, Prescod submitted, warranted a one-year increase on top of the starting figure.
On the matter of compensation, Prescod acknowledged the limits of financial redress. "At the end of the day, no amount of money can solve this violation," he said. "However, she can use the funds to get counselling for both her and her son."
Defence cites age, health and low reoffending risk
Defence attorney Rasheed Belgrave proposed a lower starting sentence of ten years. He acknowledged that Eversley carried a recent conviction but noted it was for wounding — an offence of a different nature — and argued it should not be treated as directly comparable.
Belgrave also pointed to a positive pre-sentence report assessing Eversley as being at low risk of reoffending, as well as statements from people who knew him describing the assault as "out of character." He asked the court to weigh the delay in the matter reaching the High Court, his client's age, and his medical condition.
Complainant requests imprisonment and restitution
When the court asked the complainant directly whether she would accept compensation, she requested $50,000. She cited ongoing psychological trauma suffered by both herself and her son, along with lost earnings from time she had taken off work following the assault.
She stated clearly that she wanted Eversley to face both imprisonment and a restitution order — not one in lieu of the other.
Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell addressed Eversley directly on the question of compensation: "In the case that the court is inclined to grant compensation, it will have to be paid up front."
Sentencing has been scheduled for February 12, 2027.
Source: Barbados Today