BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — A Belizean High Court judge has sentenced a man to more than 20 years in jail after he was found guilty on three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced Jeffery Pott of Corozalito Village, a mainland village in Belize District, to 20 years and five months in prison after he was found guilty of having sex with a 13-year-old girl twice in 2021 and 2022, and again when she was 14 years old.

In sentencing him, Pilgrim said he had considered both aggravating and mitigating factors and referenced Section 47-1-29 of the Belize criminal code, which states that anyone who has sex with someone under 16 years, with or without consent, commits an offence punishable by a minimum of 20 years, up to life imprisonment.

For those who have sex with someone between 14 years to 16 years, the punishment ranges from five to 10 years.

The judge said that he also took into account the new sentencing guidelines of the Senior Courts of Belize that came into effect in January this year.