In another dramatic decision in the Supreme Court today, 27 year old Paul Jex Jr., was sentenced to life imprisonment for an ugly rape that happened in 2015.
Last week, the father of 2 was convicted of raping a 21-year-old woman at gun point. She was the cleaner that a posse of 7 robbers encountered during a home invasion in the Burrell Boom area.
When the life sentence was handed down by Justice Ricardo Sandcroft late this evening, one relative in court spontaneously exclaimed her disbelief.
Crown counsel Riis Cattouse asked for life imprisonment, the max that can be given by law.
That is not the sentence usually sought in rape cases, but the Crown Counsel asked for it based on the particularly heinous circumstances during the rape.
He categorized the rape as one of the worst ever seen based on the aggravating factors, one being that a gun was put to the victim's one year old child's head when she refused to consent to sex with her masked assailant.
And though he wore a mask, Paul Jex wiped himself with a towel when he was done, and the DNA evidence taken from that was a central piece of evidence.
Justice Sandcroft agreed with the prosecutor and sentenced Jex to life imprisonment. He can be eligible for parole only after he has served 25 years in jail.
Justice Sandcrodt said he had to strike a balance when he heard from Jex Jr.'s father and sister in mitigation plea, where they spoke of him being like a father to his siblings. His sentence is to take effect from today.
