SENTENCED to 38 years and five months in July 2021 on kidnapping, robbery and rape charges, taxi driver Dwayne Edwards received a new slate of sentences on Friday for an offence for which he had been charged and tried separately.

Edwards’ horrific criminal activities were carried out alongside his accomplice Michael Swaby, who was also convicted.

Edwards, who in March this year pleaded guilty to an indictment which charged him with forcible abduction, rape, and robbery with aggravation, was freshly sanctioned to 26 years and eight months for that rape, 10 years for the robbery with aggravation charge, and eight years for the forcible abduction charge.

The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, so that he will serve the longest of the sentences imposed which would be the 26 years in this instance.

According to the facts of the case outlined by the prosecution, in September 2017 about 9:10 pm the female complainant boarded a taxi in the vicinity of Manhattan clothing store in downtown Kingston.

Swaby was the driver of the vehicle, while Edwards was seated in the back. She said the vehicle drove off after two other females boarded. They, however, exited in the vicinity of Bustamante Hospital for Children.

When they resumed travel, upon reaching the Nannyville intersection the vehicle turned off the main road and Edwards, who was still seated behind the complainant, moved closer behind her and said “Don’t move.”

According to the evidence, Swaby then demanded money. Upon hearing that she only had $5,000 Edwards groped inside the woman’s blouse in search of money before taking and searching her bag, removing two cellular phones in the process.

He further demanded her debit card and the PIN and searched her purse. She was then blindfolded and taken from the vehicle to a premises. Once there the court heard that Swaby had sexual intercourse with her, followed by Edwards. She was then returned to the car, driven to a location, and ordered to exit the vehicle. She was helped to a police station by a passerby.

Vaginal and rectal swabs, as well as an area of the panties worn by the complainant on the night in question produced a DNA profile which matched the buccal swabs taken from Edwards.

Edwards and Swaby were in 2021 sentenced to 38 years and nine months and 38 years and five months, respectively, by the Corporate Area Gun Court.

The two, said to be illegal taxi operators, were downed by the testimonies of 17 witnesses, three of whom were complainants, during a trial which started that May.

Forensic evidence, video footage from surveillance cameras, call records analyses, as well as a discarded traffic ticket with Swaby’s name, formed part of the trail of clues that led to the downfall of the criminal for the incidents which took place days apart, specifically October 31, November 18, and November 25, 2017.

Swaby and Edwards had been on the police’s radar for several years, Swaby as early as 2014. Both, following their arrest in 2018, were slapped with charges ranging from forcible abduction, rape, grievous sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, assault at common law, illegal possession of firearm, and robbery with aggravation, after being pointed out in identification parades.

Arrangements were made for the three cases to be joined in the one trial, given the circumstances.

In the trial which started in May, the women, two members of the nursing profession and the other a beautician, still traumatised, gave their testimonies through tears, leaving the stand at times too distressed to continue.

At least two of the women, the Jamaica Observer learnt, chose to keep their backs turned to the accused at all times to avoid having to look at them.

Those women, in their testimonies, detailed the modus operandi of the two, who typically struck at nights using the same white motor car.