NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – National Security Minister of the Bahamas, Wayne Munroe, has disagreed with calls for his resignation even as he expressed that he “deeply” regrets comments he made last week about an unlawful sexual intercourse case involving a 14-year-old.

There have been calls for Munroe’s resignation after he told reporters last Thursday that the 40-year-old man convicted of sexually assaulting the 14-year-old, had received a sentence that was too severe.

The 40-year-old accused was handed a four-year jail term following a plea deal for unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl who was also pregnant.

On completion of his prison term, the convicted man will be placed on probation for three years.

Indicating that his statements were in no way a defense for the convicted man, Munroe said he believes that anyone who has sexual intercourse with a child under 16 “is disordered,” and that “anyone who does so will go to prison.”

He however believes the sentence should always be in keeping with the law of the land.

“The only question is the length of their sentence,” he said, adding that “sentence lengths for the offence in question are established by the Bahamas Court of Appeal.

“For a first-time offender, the sentence is seven years if the young woman does not consent, and four years if the young woman does consent. The word ‘consent’ is in the text of the relevant statute – ‘with or without consent.’

“I have spoken several times on the matter of a plea agreement and I deeply regret that my answers have caused concern.  I gave several interviews and I hope that pulling the salient points together in one place can be helpful to understanding my position,” he continued in a statement issued on the weekend.

“When I provide my analysis of a legal matter, as I have done in recent interviews, I do draw upon my decades of experience practising law. But I want Bahamians to be clear, it is this experience that allows me a clear view of the path to successful law enforcement and prosecution. The goal in cases like these is to punish predatory behaviour and to deter others from engaging in such behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister, Chester Cooper, said the age of consent should be raised to 18 to “further protect minors”.

Minister of Social Services and Development, Obie Wilchcombe, said the Office of the Attorney General is looking to address “inconsistencies” in law with the age of consent with legislation expected to change later this year.