A man who indecently assaulted a teenage boy in a Cayman Brac bathroom stall was sentenced to 10 months in prison Thursday.
Henry Dagala Jabines, a Philippines national, faced a single count of indecent assault stemming from an incident that occurred in February 2019.
The victim, who was 15 years old at the time, was at a Cayman Brac resort with his parents. In order to escape from the mosquitoes that were biting him, he went into a nearby bathroom and sat in a stall, the court heard.
Ten minutes later, Jabines entered the bathroom, went to the same stall and closed the door behind him. He proceeded to show the teen pornographic images on his phone. When the teenager tried to leave the stall, Jabines grabbed him and indecently assaulted him, the court heard.
In March, during an initial Grand Court appearance, Jabines entered not-guilty pleas. He was remanded into custody, where he remained for six months. During that time, the court heard, Jabines found God. He has since been baptised and attends the prison’s church daily. He has also taken phycological self-control sessions. In September, days before a one-week jury trial was set, Jabines changed his plea to guilty.
Sitting with his head hanging low, Jabines remained silent during Thursday’s sentencing proceedings. While returning her ruling, Acting Justice Marlene Carter reviewed the effects Jabines’ actions had on the victim.
“The victim and Jabines were known to each other,” she said. “The victim felt betrayed and angry [for] several weeks after the incident. Fortunately, he does not feel like it will have long lasting effects on him.”
In imposing the 10-month sentence, Acting Justice Carter noted there were no aggravating or mitigating circumstances. A deportation order was made, and the six months spent in custody will be deducted from Jabines’ sentence.
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