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March 18, 2026
A Berbice woman’s traumatic experience has led to a major court ruling, with her attacker now facing over a decade behind bars for rape and assault.
Twenty-nine-year-old Anthony Jeffrey, also known as “Tony,” was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months’ imprisonment for rape, along with 3 years and 4 months for assault causing actual bodily harm, following a violent attack on a woman in the county of Berbice on March 4, 2024.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Deborah Kumar-Chetty at the Berbice High Court on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
Jeffrey was charged under Section 333 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act for rape and Section 48, Chapter 8:01 of the Criminal Offences Act for engaging in sexual penetration without consent. He also faced a second charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.
Prior to delivering the sentence, Justice Kumar-Chetty followed a structured, step-by-step framework. The court first evaluated the seriousness of the offence, taking into account the victim’s vulnerability and the level of violence involved, and set an initial benchmark of 20 years.
It then reviewed aggravating and mitigating factors, including the offender’s admission of guilt and clean criminal record, which led to a one-year reduction.
At the third stage, the early guilty plea was considered, and the adjusted sentence remained unchanged. Finally, the court factored in the time already spent on remand, as well as the breach of the victim’s sense of safety and the psychological harm caused, before confirming the sentence in light of the applicable maximum penalties and the details of the case.
The sentences are to run concurrently, with credit given for the period he has already spent in custody.
The court heard that the 39-year-old complainant was asleep at her home around 00:30 hrs when she was awakened by a noise at her window. A man later entered her bedroom with a jersey tied around his head to conceal his identity.
She screamed and attempted to flee when the intruder grabbed her by the neck, forced her onto the bed, and assaulted her. Despite her efforts to escape, she was restrained, beaten, and threatened with death as Jeffrey claimed to have weapons. He then forcibly raped her.
During the struggle, his disguise slipped, allowing the victim to recognize him under the bedroom light. Evidence presented in court revealed that Jeffrey lived nearby and had previously worked at her home.
A neighbour, alerted by the disturbance, intervened and confronted Jeffrey, who fled after a brief scuffle.
The victim did not consent to the assault or the sexual acts committed against her.
The victim subsequently sought medical treatment at two hospitals. Reports detailed multiple injuries, including facial and neck trauma consistent with assault, fingerprint impressions around her neck, a vaginal tear, and other marks of violence.
Jeffrey was arrested later that day after being cautioned by police about the allegations. Initially denying involvement, he later admitted to entering the woman’s bedroom while intoxicated and gave further admissions during an audio-video recorded interview.
When the matter was called before the court, Jeffrey pleaded guilty to both charges. The presiding judge reminded him that by pleading guilty, he was waiving his right to a trial.
The court accepted the guilty plea and ordered that psychiatric evaluations be conducted for both the victim and the accused. Additionally, a probation report and a prison conduct report on Jeffrey were requested.
A psychiatric evaluation of the accused was conducted on February 23 by Dr. Menawattie Rajkumar. This was followed by an evaluation of the victim on February 24, also conducted by Dr. Rajkumar.
