by Derek Achong
A labourer from Mayaro has been placed on a three year bond to keep the peace after admitting to committing beastiality almost 12 years ago.
Rodney Lawrence received the sentence from High Court Judge Kathy-Ann Waterman-Latchoo on Tuesday after pleading guilty to the offence.
Lawrence was accused of committing the sexual offence against a male dog on April 23, 2012.
Residents of his community reported hearing strange noises coming from a bushy area and one went to investigate.
The man claimed that he found Lawrence with the dog on a mattress under a mango tree.
The mixed-breed dog, which was owned by a member of the community and named "Whitey" based on the colour of his fur, was tied to the tree and was reportedly gagged with Lawrence's vest.
After Lawrence allegedly spotted the man he abandoned the dog and jumped a fence of a nearby property.
He was arrested by the police near his home shortly after.
Lawrence initially denied any wrongdoing as he claimed that he was attacked and beaten by a man in the bushy area.
However, he subsequently confessed while being further interrogated by police officers.
The dog was taken to a veterinarian to be examined and was subsequently euthanised due to the injuries it sustained in the attack.
Before Lawrence agreed to plead guilty to the offence, he requested a maximum sentence indication (MSI) from Justice Waterman-Latchoo on the possible highest sentence he would receive if he pleaded guilty.
While she indicated a three year prison term, Justice Waterman-Latchoo considered that after being charged he spent almost two years on remand until he was able to access bail.
She also noted that he had a clean criminal record before and after the incident as she placed him on the bond.
Justice Waterman-Latchoo encouraged Lawrence to avoid any criminal activity in the future as she noted that the offence was serious though not prevalent.
In the event that he commits an offence during the period, Lawrence will be brought back before Justice Waterman-Latchoo to be re-sentenced.
Lawrence was represented by Shaun Morris, of the Public Defenders' Department.