_{Photo: Vicente Cerraras, sentenced}

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Oct. 9, 2024

Tonight, Vicente Cerraras, 43, a farmer, is spending his first night of a prison term of 15 years 11 months and 15 days (a 16-year sentence less the 15 days he had spent on remand) for two counts of rape of a child, 14, for which he was convicted in July of this year before a judge in the High Court.

On Monday, July 22, 2024, Justice Nanton found Cerreras guilty of the two counts of rape of a child after overwhelming DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene.

Despite the DNA results that the Crown Prosecutor, Romey Cunningham, was able to present in the trial against him, Cerraras, in his defense, denied raping the minor; but DNA cannot lie, and he was found guilty.

Vicente had raped the minor, 14, on two occasions, on June 27, 2019, and again on August 26, 2019.

This morning, shortly before noon, Cerraras appeared before Justice Candace Nanton in the High Court, where she heard mitigation pleas from his two character witnesses, who were his mother and his church’s pastor, Elario Davis.

Cerraras’ last words to the court were ones of remorse, telling the court he was sorry for what he did, and admitting his guilt.

Cerreras, who was facing a mandatory sentence of 12 years minimum on each count, was sentenced to two 16-year terms, due to the heinous act he committed upon the young girl. However, Justice Nanton ordered that his 2 sentences will run concurrently (they will be served at the same time), and not consecutively; so, in effect he would actually serve 16 years only.

Justice Nanton also took into consideration his 15 days on remand, hence she deducted those days from his sentence, leaving him a prison term of 15 years 11 months and 15 days remaining to be served for the two counts of rape of a child.

In the trial, Cerraras was represented by attorney Ronell Gonzalez, and the Crown was represented by Crown Counsel, Romey Cunningham.