SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — Devon Smith, 37, was Thursday sentenced to five years in jail for the carnal abuse of his 13 year-old daughter whom he allegedly impregnated.

Last month, Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of incest in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate’s Court. On Thursday, the judge ruled that he should serve three years on the first count and five on the second count. However, he will only serve five years in jail as the sentences are to run concurrently.

The court was told that following the death of the girl’s mother two years ago, she went to live with her father. During that time, he carnally abused her until, after neighbours realised that she was pregnant, he sent her to live with relatives in Manchester.

Smith shortly followed his child to that parish after receiving word that his neigbours were about to give him a sound thrashing. However, while in Manchester, the girl reported the matter to her relatives who in turn reported the matter to the police in the area.

The Spanish Town police were notified of the incident on July 9 and Smith was later arrested and charged with incest after he returned to the area.

On September 29, Smith was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at hard labour after he tried, earlier that day, to escape police custody.

According to police reports, while talking to his court-appointed lawyer at the Spanish Town court -house, Smith kicked out a mesh partition in the holding area, jumped through a window, climbed the wall at the rear of the courthouse and escaped in a nearby community.

However, he was quickly recaptured by cops who were on duty at the courthouse and taken before Senior Resident Magistrate Lorna Gayle at the Spanish Town RM Court, where he was sentenced.