A woman who was raped by knifepoint in 2017 received justice this afternoon after Mahadeo Dasrat, the man who violated her, was sentenced to 16 years behind bars.
Dasrat, 59, a former employee of the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, was convicted of the crime yesterday by a jury.
According to the charge, on April 11, 2017, Dasrat engaged in sexual penetration with the woman, who was then 25, against her will. During his first appearance before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the High Court in Demerara Dasrat had pleaded not guilty.
Based on information, the woman was waiting on transportation to go to work when a knife-wielding Dasrat pounced on her and dragged her into some bushes where he raped her. During that time, he also grabbed the gold chain the woman was wearing before making his escape. He was later arrested.
Through a victim impact statement, the victim said that she was afraid Dasrat would have chopped off her head and left her to die. Furthermore, the victim said that the incident has caused her much disgrace.
According to her, Dasrat took away her virginity and at one point she was afraid that no man would have wanted to marry her.
Prosecutor Seeta Bishundial told the court that Dasrat was convicted of robbing the said woman. The Guyana Standard was informed that he was sentenced to one year in jail for that crime.
During a plea in mitigation, Dasrat’s lawyer Rabindra Mohabir asked the Court to consider his client’s age and the fact that he is the sole breadwinner for his family.
