Two men sentenced to 5 years in prison for the rape of a minor

Two men from the Cayo District are serving the first of several months behind bars after being sentenced to half a decade for the rape of a minor. They are 29-year-old, Joziah Martinez, and 27-year-old, Rahim Cano. It was back in June last year that the men were convicted of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, who says she was drugged. The incident occurred in February 2017 at Martinez’s home in the Cayo District. The victim, who was fifteen at the time, told police that she went to visit Martinez, drank a glass of alcohol, and became disoriented. The minor says that after she fell to the ground and was unable to get up, both men raped her. The minor lost consciousness and was awakened several hours later by Martinez’s relatives. Her mother was then contacted, and she was taken to the hospital, where a doctor certified she was carnally known. The minor and her mother then reported the incident to police, and the men were charged. The trial began back in May last year, during which the defense argued that the victim’s memory could not be relied upon, and the identification evidence could not be relied upon. The accused both claimed to have left the victim in the presence of each other, and both denied having sex with the minor. However, their statements did not convince High Court Justice Antoinette Moore of their innocence. The Judge stated in her verdict that the Crown’s evidence convinced her that both men had sex with the minor. The men were sentenced to five years in prison and two years of probation upon release in the trial without a jury on January 30. Martinez was represented by attorney Leroy Banner and Cano was represented by attorney Hurl Hamilton.