A man accused of raping a woman in San Pedro Town will be serving 9 years in prison after he was found guilty. Karl Lino, a Belize City resident, originally from Dangriga, was sentenced today after the verdict was given on April 20th by Justice Antoinette Moore. Lino could have been slapped with a life sentence, however, since he was a first time offender, he was given an additional year on top of the minimum sentence, which is 8 years imprisonment.
According to the victim, she was at home sleeping when Lino entered through a window, armed with a knife and a hammer. She woke up to find that he was on top of her, and she testified that she asked him to wear a condom, hoping to use that opportunity to escape. However, Lino raped her while hitting her with the hammer throughout the entire ordeal.
