Derek Achong
A Gasparillo man, who pretended to be a PH taxi driver and abducted and raped a woman, is expected to be released from prison in four years.
Andrew Hazell pleaded guilty to rape and false imprisonment in January but was only sentenced by High Court Judge Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds on Tuesday
In deciding on the appropriate sentence for Hazell, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds began with a 15-year starting point for rape and a six-year starting point for false imprisonment.
After applying a one-third discount for his guilty pleas and deducting the six years and one month he spent on remand after being charged, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds ruled that he had completed his sentence for false imprisonment and had three years and 11 months to serve for rape.
In passing the sentence, Justice Ramsumair-Hinds noted that a year before he attacked the woman, he was convicted and sentenced to three months in prison for a physical attack on another woman.
She also advised Hazell to seek counselling from his anger management and alcohol abuse issues upon his release.
"If you have an addiction problem, then the proper thing to do is to seek assistance to overcome it," she said.
As part of his sentence, Hazell was ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release. He was also ordered to report to his nearest police station every two months for five years.
According to the evidence in the case, Hazell picked up the victim in La Brea on January 25, 2017.
Hazell threatened her with a knife and told her he would kill her if she resisted. He then drove to a small wooden shack in a secluded area where he raped her.
During the hearing, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Danielle Thompson presented a victim impact statement from the woman, who claimed to still be traumatised by the incident.
She said that she continued to suffer frequent nightmares and would wake up screaming. She also claimed that the attack put a strain on her relationship with her then-boyfriend as he would have to hire private transportation as she no longer felt safe travelling.
Hazell was represented by Shaunelle Hamilton.
