Smith Cove sex offender jailed

| 24/07/2019 | 25 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): An Indian national who was working here as a security guard when he was charged for sexual offences against children at Smith Cove last year was remanded in custody Wednesday to begin serving the remainder of a 16-month sentence. Valiyaveettil Josepeter (52) was sentenced almost seven months after his conviction on one charge of indecent assault. But having been on electronic monitor and curfew for well over a year, the judge gave him eight months credit.

The judge also recommended that he be deported after the remaining eight-month term is served.

Josepeter had always denied the allegations, maintaining that the touching was entirely accidental. Following a judge alone trial, the judge found that he had deliberately touched the seven-year-old child when he was swimming in the water at the popular beach spot last February but could not be sure he had knowingly touched a 10-year-old girl around the same time.

Josepeter was therefore found guilty of just one of the two counts against him after trial and acquitted of the other.

When he appeared for his sentence hearing, defence attorney Kathy Ryan argued that until now her client, who was himself the victim of childhood sexual abuse, had no previous convictions of any kind and until this moment had been of exemplary character. She said that this was a single opportunistic one-off instance, which lasted for seconds.

However, the court heard that, however brief the assault, was the child was negatively impacted and remains confused about what happened to her. The judge also noted that the offence undermined the reputation of the Cayman Islands as a safe family destination and that those who went to Smith Cove had a right to expect to be safe.

But at the same time, the judge accepted that the long wait for trial and then sentencing had also been a punishment for Josepeter, who was under “onerous conditions” while on the tag, so he counted half of the more than 450 days he spent on curfew as time served. Throughout the sentencing and after the judge’s ruling Josepeter wept as he learned his fate, before he was taken down to the cells.

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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (25)

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  1. Say it like it is says:

    Let’s see what the child rapist gets. Most of these cases which often are the worst of the worst, are hushed up to protect family reputation and never get prosecuted.

  2. Anonymous says:

    This is the type of crap that needs to be protested for longer sentences, instead of being concerned with consenting adults doing what make them happy, lots of adults out there to touch and enjoy if people go about it the right way, yet these creeps pray on the innocent little children

  3. Da wah you get! says:

    Deportation please.

  4. Anonymous says:

    if he was a local … he would have gotten 16 years? then again i see all kind of offenders getting a slap on the wrist and walking free. from pastors to politicians … the message this sends, is that its ok to be a pedi! SAAADDDDD

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Is it really work permit holders committing crimes in these Cayman Islands? And yet the government of the day cannot see or understand that those people should not be allowed to enter, less given permits to work here. Permits are allowing prostitution and other criminal activities here. Revenue from permits are the demise of our piece of Paradise.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Which for him ‘lasted for seconds’ but for the victim a lifetime of memory. What kind of statement is that???? “Lasted for seconds”…
    And “until this moment had been of exemplary character. She said that this was a single opportunistic one-off instance” When a pedo is caught is usually means that it has been ongoing and this is just when it is caught. Then they plead ‘oh, this was the first time..’
    Right.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I get your point, and I really think these people need to rot in prison. However, being afforded the luxury of living in a free society that has laws about fair trails and everyone being afforded the right of council his lawyer did what she had to do to FAIRLY represent her client. Don’t for one second think that means the lawyer thinks this is not serious. Just doing their job which is thankfully a right we are given.

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    • Clifton Scott says:

      That single charge & sentence was a joke, especially being as he actually molested 9+ kids that day before I confronted him. Some parents never even knew their 6 yr olds were molested until brought to their attention, and they broke down crying when questioned. Some older Kids almost drowned swimming into deep water to escape from him molesting & chasing them. Single incident! Ha. CES

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    • Clifton Scott says:

      It last a lot longer than seconds, as there were atleast 4 witnesses over 10-15. Leaving atleast two 6 year olds and others scared for life.

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  7. jimmmy cricket says:

    this pedophile was on bail for one year, how many other young girls have molested?.
    why not have had him jailed , or deported from day one.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Because we are lucky to be given a fair trail. Even though it sucks in some instances.

    • Clifton Scott says:

      He molested atleast 9 kids, including a 12 tourist visiting the sister Islands the next day. Several too young to report it, and would have grown up broke with out the parents even knowing.

  8. Anonymous says:

    What a railroad job and outright joke. This wasn’t anything other than an accident.

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    • Clifton Scott says:

      Molesting 9 your kids in a 1 hour period? A 20 year sentence would have been more appropriate.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Just a 16 month sentence?? Where are we going Cayman? It takes this length of time to get half the lazy gits out of bed in the morning to do an honest days work!! What does this tell all these scumbags? I think these penalties need to be reviewed in all aspects of crime. The liberties that are taken away do not fit any crime committed on this island. There is no deterrent here. They must be laughing their socks off. The only good thing that’s come out of this is that he is being deported on completion of sentence. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to our home grown criminals.

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    • Anonymous says:

      @1:46 am First, kinda creepy that you’re commenting at 1:46 am. Secondly, the guy is a convicted child molester that still has 8 months to serve in Northward. Do you know what happens to pedophiles in prison? The government would be doing him a favor to deport him.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yea I mean, we should have public executions. You people are ridiculous.

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