A Gwen Lizarraga High School teacher who was remanded to prison in January on five counts of aggravated assault of an indecent nature and two counts of carnal knowledge of a minor between 7-12 years old, was arraigned on three more counts of carnal knowledge when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court this morning.
Verden Samuel Blease, 51, a resident of 18 Neal Pen Road, who has been out of prison on bail, was arraigned on the additional three carnal knowledge charges when he appeared in court before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith.
He was, however, spared additional remand time and was released on the original bail that he had posted.
On Monday, January 13, 2014, Blease was arraigned on the seven charges, after a 12-year-old minor and her mother reported to police that he had been having sexual intercourse with the minor when she was between the ages of 7 and 11. The sexual assaults occurred in the period between 2008 and 2012.
A doctor who examined the minor certified that she had been carnally known and has classified her injuries as grievous harm.
The three additional charges of carnal knowledge imposed on Blease relate to his abuse of the same child, in connection with which Blease now has a total of ten charges pending in court – five being carnal knowledge and five being aggravated assault of a sexual nature.
The sexual assault incidents occurred at two different locations – a home on the Philip Goldson Highway and a home on the south-side of Belize City.
Blease is scheduled to return to court on August 7.