A 19-year-old male has been charged with five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16.
The police have identified him as Kadeem Callwood — a US citizen residing in Cane Garden Bay.
He was granted bail till his appearance before the Magistrate’s Court on October 15.
Meanwhile, the police said in a media release that other charges are likely to be laid in this matter.
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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,” Head of the Family and Juvenile Unit, Acting Inspector Kendolph Bobb said while commenting on the case.
“An offender could be sentenced to seven years in prison for unlawful sexual intercourse. Ignorance is not bliss in this case,” he added.