Jockey Jevvanne Erwin was yesterday sentenced to 15 years in prison when he was found guilty of seven counts of rape in the St Catherine Circuit Court.

He will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 10 years.

Erwin, known also as Brown Man, was taken into custody on June 21 to answer the charges and was found guilty on June 23.

His attorney Tamika Harris said after the sentence was handed down that she would appeal the conviction.

“Well I must say that I am disappointed with the conviction. The sentencing is not something that surprised me as the judge stuck with the letter of the legislation, which has a mandatory minimum sentence,” Harris told the Complete Racing Guide.

Erwin’s charge and later conviction stemmed from an incident that took place some five years ago in the Gregory Park community in Portmore, St Catherine.

This incident has come at a time when Erwin had exhibited signs of being a capable lightweight jockey, riding for some of the leading trainers at Caymanas Park. He was having one of his best seasons in the saddle, having won 17 races for the year, which placed him in sixth position in the jockeys’ standing.