Child molester gets 5 years

| 25/09/2009

(CNS): Justice Alex Henderson has sentenced Gifford Prendergast to five years in prison following the recent guilty verdict which he handed down on 8 counts of indecent assault on a minor. The judge told the court that there were aggravating factors in the case, especially as the convicted man was in a position of trust and had committed repeated offences on the child over a period of 18 months. Henderson said he had manipulated his victim and, although he had used only minor physical force, he had as the victim has said “exerted mental force".  Henderson said that sexual offences were inherently harmful when victims were coerced and exploited.

The judge spoke of how the offence has a long term impact on the victims as they find it difficult to form relationships based on trust when they become adults and because of the feeling of fear, shame and degradation from which they suffer. Henderson noted that in this case Prenderast’s victim was 12 and 13 while the abuse took place and was therefore too young to give consent and would not have done so even if the child had been of age.

Henderson suggested too that Prendergast’s offence were both part planned and part opportunistic but the abuse of trust and power were aggravating factors and that the abuse was considerable and enduring.

The maximum sentence in the Cayman Islands is ten years and the judge told the courtthat, based on the circumstances, he was using four years as his starting point. Although there were some mitigating factors as this was Prendergast’s first conviction and he had some 26 pages of character witnesses, the judge added to his starting point because of the aggravated factors which he had spoken about.

During the Crown’s presentation to the judge, the prosecuting attorney had stated that in the UK the acts which the defendant had perpetrated on the child would now be considered rape as a result of the change to legislation in 2003 and noted that the maximum sentence would therefore be 14 years. Although that did not apply in the Cayman Islands as the acts were still considered indecent assault and not rape, she hoped the court would consider that situation and asked the judge to start his calculations for sentence at five years.  

The defence counsel had submitted that, while there were aggravated circumstances, the defendant had no previous convictions and was of previously good character to which many people had voluntarily testified in the submission of character witness statements.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I know this man.All I can say is whoa. 

  2. Anonymous says:

    I am believed to understand that another recent case of an "alleged" rape of a minor went to court recently and the jury found the attacker not guilty of rape but guilty of indecent assault.  His lawyer told him to plead guilty to indecent assault to get a lesser sentence.  Doesn’t that lawyer have a conscience?  The doctor who examined the child in the case gave hard fact evidence in court that the child was molested.  The man will walk, might serve a couple of months, and the victim and her family will suffer for the rest of her life.  I just don’t understand the Justice system here. 

  3. Anonymous says:

    Actually the Elected Caymanian Government has nothing to do with Parole, Prison, or Selection of Judges. I am not suggesting that the Judges are not good, I think they are, but whether they adequately reflect the cultural sensibilities and get tough on crime desires of the local populace, is a different matter. Frankly, principles applicable and adopted in countries where only one in a million gets shot in a year are not neccessarily applicable where the statistic is one in five thousand.

    Any suggestion that expats are otherwise being blamed is exaggerated.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Please show me where I saidthey were?

      I said that the laws were Cayman which allows limited scope for judges, who decides in the LA if a law is passed or brought in?

      "Any suggestion that expats are otherwise being blamed is exaggerated."

      Please. Look at any story and they nearly all start with expat blaming.

      A man is hit over the head and robbed, one of the first questions by a Caymanian (Twyla) what nationality are they?

      Now go back and read the comments again, or turn on Rooster, it is no wonder expats feel preduiced against constantly, and that is why there is retaliation on the comment boards and then the usual petty expat v’s Caymanian squabbles (like this one) that assist no one.

      The point is a ChildMolester has been given only 5 years for a heinous crime, so Caymanians need to start calling and contacting their MLA’s and start harrassing them for tougher laws and sentences so Judges have something to work with.

       

       

      • Anonymous says:

        I am not squabbling. I may have misunderstood  what you were saying, and for that I apologise. The nationality issue can be relevant to both expats and Caymanians. When a serious crime takes place in the US by someone who is not American (911 is the obvious example – and no I am not equating what those bastards did to holding up a store) full congressional investigations take place as to why visas were granted and how the persons got through border security. Fair enough? And if about half of our crimes are committed by foreign nationals (probably because at least half of the persons living here are foreign nationals) are not half of our crimes arguably attributable to a lapse of border security  and the other half of them to poor education/parenting/no opportunity etc.?

        • Anonymous says:

          You are quite right of course. When it comes to the crime issue nationality is indeed relevant since that information may inform our immigration/border control policies. It is relevant to gfingerprinting issue and to monitoring all flights leaving the country following serious crimes (e.g. Estella Roberts murder where one charged absconded to Jamaica, GBH by Colombian nationals who were absconding to Cuba). It is probably a significant reason why so many crimes go unsolved. Why should we play the ostrich and pretend that it is irrelevant or dismiss all mention of nationality as mere bigotry? Understandably expats from particular countries are a little embarrassed since their nationality gets mentioned with some regularity and so I guess it is human nature to lash out.
          However, no one is saying that all or even most of the crime is necessarily being committed by expats (we actually don’t know since most crimes are unsolved). We have our own homegrown issues to address as well such as poor parenting, gangs etc. but these issues are not mutually exclusive.

          We need to improve of our detection of crime whatever the nationality of the criminals. There is no public interest in suppressing relevant information and we should make no apology for informing the public.

    • Senor Pisacco says:

      Might have helped if 26 of the population thought that cultural sensibilities meant writing character letters of support for a paedophile.  It appeared if anything that the judge listened too much to the viewsof the people.

  4. Senor Pisacco says:

    Had this criminal been a non-Caymanian his nationality would have been slipped in early on in this article.  "Mr. Prendergast, a Jamaican national, . ."  It is this double standard that disgusts me.

    Evidence?

    http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/headline-news/2009/09/21/guilty-plea-jazzy-b-death

    http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/headline-news/2009/09/14/perez-opts-judge-trial

    This double standard needs explaining!

     

     

  5. Yes says:

    With all said,  I don’t think I could have deal with my child getting rape.  With this type of sentancing I guess I will have to take the law in my own hands.

    I would only be looking at a five year sentance anyway, but I will have the comfort in knowing that this one will NOT hurt another child.

    Mother of two

  6. Anonymous says:

    8 counts and they only get five years!!!!! So in less than five years they will get out to molest more minors…. its statistically proven that even WITH treatment sex offenders have the highest rate of recidivism.

    Wake up CAyman!

    Oh and by the way I am a CAymanian so the Cayman/expat argument should be null and void on my comments.

    SUpport mandatory child sexual abuse reporting by schools, dcfs and all other agencies.

    Support harsher sentences for sex offenders and child abusers

    Support non profits like the CICC who are spreading the Darkness 2 Light program to prevent sexual violence against kids.

     

    This is an outrage and a terrifying shame because this convicted individual will NOT receive adequate rehabilitation to give him even the slightest chance of not re-offending.

    Talk to your children, keep the lines of communication open and be wary of the adults and older kids they are around.

     

  7. tired says:

     

    Perhaps everyone that types on this website needs a reality check. Cayman like everywhere else and has its shareof very sick crime.  Crime like disease no boundaries and our personal prejudices are irrelevant. With regards to the punishment for child molesters: This not the first child abuser to get off lightly here and certainly others countries have this issue as well. Once the new constitution is in affect, concerned persons should petition for adjustment to the penal code creating greater sentences for such heinous crimes.  
    Expat vs Caymanians these heated online spats will continue to happen and increase tensions on islands (I know they make my blood boil every time I read them).  
    Expats might want to do the following
    1.      Get to know several Multi-generational Caymanians
    a.       Ask them about their thoughts
    b.      Ask them why they are angry( if in-fact they are)
    c.       Ask them about their experiences with expats
    d.      Ask them about discrimination
    e.       Ask them about their concerns for the future
    f.        Ask them anything
    2.      Put yourself in their shoes
    3.      Put everything into context
    If you still decide that you cannot abide the people of these islands then leave. Collect your last paycheck and go. You are probably well compensated.And where ever you go you will definitely come into contact with less Caymanians. Good luck!
    If you choose to stay in public forums try not to say/write grossly inaccurate prejudicial racist remarks about your hosts, it only fuels hatred, just as it does in your home countries.
    Caymanians might want to do the following
    1.      Stand up for yourselves
    a.       rally
    b.      walk
    c.       protest
    d.      petition
    2.      Still be courteous and friendly towards expats because they are human and no matter what some of them have done  they are not all bad (just as we are not all uneducated and lazy)
    3.      continue to educate yourself and your children
    4.      Participate in government
    5.      do right (every time you get a chance)
    Peaceout!
    • Expat 333 says:

      I get really bugged by the expat v Caymanian bit as well.  I do know many Caymanians and I haven’t run across one of them that I didn’t like.  I mean I am sure there are "less that nice" ones, as the news unfortunately shows, but everyone that I have met is great.  In fact, nicer than I would be if someone came to my country and went about peeing in my cornflakes all the time. 

      I am generally not happy about either Caymanians or expats doing things that hurt this country, be it Mac making mistakes or Kurt not watching the till, or these ungracious jackass expats hacking on Caymanians and not being helpful (most of you are probably here because you are very, very well educated – try doing something useful and turn your brain to making a contribution for a change).  We are guests here for xxxx’s sake!!! Show some xxxxing decorum and treat our hosts with proper respect.  If I were Caymanian I’d probably drop-kick you right in the chestnuts, but then again if I were Caymanian, I’d probably be nicer than I actually am.  Go figure…

      Fortunately, the majority of expats that I know are actually very appreciative of Cayman and our hosts.  Those that aren’t, you need to give yourself an attitude adjustment and learn to appreciate the wonderful attributes of these people.

      Sorry for the vent…

      • da wa ya get says:

        Thank you for that.

        I’m quite unhappy to see that there is little to no intellectual debate going on about the real issues here. I’m always angered when I see the hateful spewing that some expats post, and I always wonder how they would feel if I "went about peeing in their cornflakes all the time". Especially because for the large part Caymanians have been nice and welcoming to those who come to our shores…although in recent years many Caymanians (sometime including myself) have become very fed-up and very angry about the way that many people treat us in our own homeland.

        You, however, are a breath of fresh air, and I am most happy to have you here in Cayman 🙂

        I truly pray that ALL of us who wish to see this country continue to succeed will do everything possible to put us back on the right path.

        • Anonymous says:

          "the large part Caymanians have been nice and welcoming"

          In my experience I quite agree, but you have to admit you can see why so many expats get hacked off with being blamed for everything.

          Look at this story asan example, and on of the first posts goes straight into blaming an expat.

          In this story the child molester is Caymanian, yet the only thing the poster talks about is the Canadian judge, when he is snetencing to Caymanian Laws, brought in by a Caymanian Government filled with Caymanian MLA’s

          and the expat gets blamed, can you not see why expats get fed up with and retaliate.

           

          • da wa ya get says:

             

            I do agree. It is a vicious cycle. Caymanians get pissed of by some stupid and insensitive statement that expats make, and expats get pissed off when many of us Caymanians find a way to blame all of our problems on expats. When in fact, the problems are always going to be ours, and we are the ones who have to find constructive ways to solve them.
            I think it’s appalling that the maximum sentence for child molestation is only 10 years. Cayman’s legal system is very outdated and needs a serious upgrade, the first part (the frame work of all laws) is almost over as the new constitution will soon be implemented. I’m hoping that we all get to know and use it to the benefit of this country.
            Anyway, the story of Caymanians in Cayman is a tough one. We came from a society where we had little else but faith and seafaring. Boys as young as 12 left school to go to sea, and girls went about the neighbours’ homes to sew or working the land to help support their families. Back in the 60’s and 70’s when the financial industry was started the government of the day told Caymanians (population of around 10,000 at the time) that they would no longer have to send their children to sea and they could have an office job in the bank. Caymanians loved this idea and told their children that they would get a job after high school. Keep in mind many of these parents only got as far as primary school, so to get to high school was a big achievement in their eyes at that time.
            During this time many people had fled the Bahamas after their PM told them to get out and they came to Cayman. Many more people Cayman from England and other places…for a long time Caymanians were proud of it all…they had seen their homeland move from dirt roads and one bedroom homes to paved roads and separate quarters intheir homes. In their minds Caymanians had advanced and were going to continue to. The government failed to tell them that they would need to get educated. And as many of them were poor, the government failed to offer educational opportunities for them. Only a few of the richer families or families with government connections were able to send their kids to college. As the expats came in Caymanians sold their birthright (land) for less than a quarter of it’s worth…now mind you they thought they were getting a lot of money and that it would last, but the money didn’t last more than 10 years for most.
            In the 90’s Caymanians were beginning to be told that they weren’tqualified by employers, so some parents were beginning to find ways to send their kids off to college. Most still couldn’t afford this, and scholarship opportunities were few and far in between. By 1999 when the last census was conducted, we had a population of aprox 40,000 inhabitants, 25,000 of which were Caymanians. In 30 years, the population grew by 300%, that is alarming….I don’t think that rate of growth has happened in any other country. That rate of growth is not natural; the majority of it was from expatriates coming to Cayman. Some segments of US and UK citizens are worried about and become very vocal about immigration policies and they don’t have a situation like we do…now we have aprox half of the people living here who are expats. Any country’s citizens would feel threatened in this situation. Caymanians feel threatened.
            Caymanians have been maligned by their own government, their own people, and by some expats too. Until the past administration, no government cared enough about the education of Caymanians to do anything about it…now we have many of this generation who are being educated; many people are even going to school part-time to earn degrees. Caymanians now see the importance of education…but many still are being maligned. Many Caymanians are angry because their own people and many expats speak badly of Caymanians while the expats make a great living, and the Caymanian wonders why they can’t seem to get ahead in their own country.
            Our country grew massively, our government did not take the time to educate their people or provide the infrastructure of "the world’s 5th largest financial centre". These are the reasons that Caymanians are angry. Caymanians have been quiet about their feelings for a long time, but you can only put so much into a bottle before it explodes.
            To my fellow Caymanians, let’s empower each other. Stop fighting one another. Stop blaming EVERY single expat. We are now educating ourselves, lets use that education and fix our country.
            • Expat 333 says:

              Thank you for this great viewpoint.  

              An expat needs to study Caymanian history before being given any residency rights here.  I think it would be useful to require expats to study a bit of this sort of history before they get their work permit (or say within 3 months).  A little cultural awareness might give the expat some helpful perspective, and cut down on all this finger pointing.

    • da wa ya get says:

      Very well written, I agree completly.

    • Bitter Pill says:

      As soon as I saw the bold letters of "multi-generational" I knew where this post was going.  Like the McField ViewPoint, it is nothing more than an apology for the racist and biggoted rantings from some Caymanians on this board.  I had never encountered as much racism anywhere in the world as that which I have experienced in Cayman from some Caymanians (note the word "some").  If I do not like this part of the population, and I detest them, then I do not have to leave, nor shall I, unless I want to.  I have many Caymanian friends and colleagues.  They are wonderful people.  No more wonderful than other people I have met, no less wonderful people.  I was born to judge people by their character, actions and they way they treat other people, not by reference to where they came from. 

      Every day I hear or read horrific racism from a Caymanian, especially some of the unbelieveable comments I hear about Jamaicans and Filipinos.  Some of the comments on the radio or in the newspapers letters page would result in criminal prosecutions in my country.  Please, if you want to say things like that, say it in the comfort of your own racist home, not in public.

      If I can employ or promote a good Caymanian who is appropriate for a place where I work I would do it.  Every time I would and have done so.  It is often the ones I have to employ but don’t want that cause friction.  Every day in my work place I have to sort of issues caused by Caymanians employed because of the their passport rather than their talent (and that is probably only about 10% of the Caymanians I work with, but that 10% cause much much harm to hardworking and talented Caymanians).  This section of the workforce are often the ones who moan loudest about discrimination in the work-place. 

      I have spoken to many mutli-generational Caymanians in my many years here, many are not angry, and are embarrassed by the "angry minority".  The angry ones?  Their anger is largely derived from a belief that foreigners are denying them access to work or capital accumulation, when in fact but for the business brought to these islands by foreigners, the working class population of Cayman would be unemployed sailors or barmen.  Middle class Caymanians have far better opportunities here than anyone else in with their talent and ability in Canada, UK or the US.   Be thankful not angry!

      So know I do not like these angry people.  But I am not going to move from where I am because of the ignorance of others, the projected anger of others or the horrific sense of entitlement that these angry people seem to have. 

      So angry people of Cayman:

      1) Ask people what life is like in other countries for people in similar positions to yourself.  You would be worse off anywhere but here.

      2) Think about what a lucky thing it is for you to be born in Cayman as a Caymanian.

      3) Think less about what you do not have but rather the amazing and, in some ways inappropriate, opportunities afforded to you by your passport.

      4) Stop blaming others.

      5) Realise if you cannot make it here, you could not make it anywhere.

       

      • Anonymous says:

        "If I can employ or promote a good Caymanian who is appropriate for a place where I work I would do it".

        Perhaps you do, but many expats do not but instead find ways to manipulate the system against Caymanians and in favour of others of their ‘own kind’. That is a cold, hard fact.  The anger is derived from the injustice many Caymanians have received at the hands of expats in the workplace. Of course you prefer to imagine that Caymanians are simply irrational people who when they should be thankful are angry instead – hence the patronizing tone of your post.   

      • tired says:

         

        I was in no way making an apology. I was trying to explain without judging. With regards to racism and nationalism, I can assure you having lived in other countries that Cayman has nothing on anywhere else.
        I did not know that ungrateful local workers syndrome was isolated to Cayman! Your claim that Caymanians are receiving “in some ways inappropriate, opportunities afforded to you by your passport” is not fair or reasonable. Please let me know of any country that does not prioritize its own citizens.  This is Cayman our nationals are called Caymanian and I think it is right to put them first. However I would like to share that I, like many other Caymanians, am underemployed. Tertiary education and all. When I returned from gradschool I was paid less than all of my counterparts even those with the same experience because I was Caymanian. This unfortunately is not an isolated case I know many young and not so young Caymanians who were in the same boat both in the private and public sector. Who is discriminating against Caymanians? Everyone who get away with it! I could tell you stories that as you say would require legal action in other counties.  Perhaps we should dedicate a blog so educated qualified Caymanians could talk about their experiences with discrimination. That might dispel a few myths. Did you hear the about the various Caymanian doctors (several) who could not get hired at the CI Hospital.
        However I like many others feel that we should treat our expatriate guests with dignity and humanity (regardless of color and ethnicity) always, as we should treat our fellow Caymanians.
        “Their anger is largely derived from a belief that foreigners are denying them access to work or capital accumulation, when in fact but for the business brought to these islands by foreigners, the working class population of Cayman would be unemployed sailors or barmen.  Middle class Caymanians have far better opportunities here than anyone else in with their talent and ability in Canada, UK or the US. Be thankful not angry!”
        I have a lot of problems with this entire paragraph. I remember when I was in school and a British classmate of mine said “If it weren’t for us (expatriates) Cayman would be nothing” This might have some truth to it as some expats have contributed significantly to Cayman and its success. But it is a self-serving unproven assumption and until time travel is invented it will remain so. It should be noted that the Ivan exodus did provide some small evidence to the contrary though.
        Alternatively perhaps some expatriates need to say “if it were not for Cayman and its Caymanians who allowed me to work and thrive in a nice tropical environment I would be broke!”
        For your information incase you were wondering what prejudice looks like see it here “…the working class population of Cayman would be unemployed sailors or barmen.” You could never know what any of these men and women might have become and therefore such a sweeping statement can only be described as a grossly biased guess.
        Do you know that some of these sailors/ barmen have gone and contributed significantly to other societies where they are doctors, lawyers, politicians, scientist who were born on these small islands with nothing. They went to primary school in small wooden structures or under trees? Got apples for Christmas, backed sand, used smoke pans etcetera. Should they say that the US UK Canada Jamaica etc would be nothing without them? I don’t know.
        TAFN I typed too much again! (its cathartic I guess)
        Peaceout!
  8. Don't judge a book by its cover. says:

    Wasn’t it a Canadian Judge that handed out the 5 year sentence for this case? The same judge that recently sentenced the woman who stabbed another woman at Macabuca .The victim sustained  a life threatening injury but the perpertrator only got 2 years prison term. 

    In both of these cases the defence attorneys have put forward character references which have been used to diminish the sentencing term. How can any judge consider using references to determine the characters of such criminals . It would be just as absurd to argue that aphycopath is really a nice person because of a reference.

    How does Cayman expect to rid itself of crime when sentencing to such serious crimes is never what it should be? I bet a child molester in Canada would not have their sentence reduced because someone says he’s a nice guy.

    • Bring him on... says:

      Tell you what, I agree 100% – but if the criminals in Club N’ward aren’t too busy enjoying steak and watching TV, they should only need 5 minutes with this guy to inflict what he really deserves…

      If not, he can come over to my place for dinner – oh, I believe the special tonight is him!!

      Signed – A Survivor!

  9. Dan Dan says:

    I think we are all loosing sight of the real picture.

    Whoever wrote the laws are not to blame, times have changed but unfortunately our laws have not and should be looked at, especially when it comes to terms of imprisonment for crimes as heinous as this.

    Whoever wrote about standing by Gifford and writing him a character reference, how nice for you!!! I hope for your sake and all the rest of people that wrote on his behalf will still have their heads up when he comes out in FIVE years and tries to fiddle with your kids.

    Some of the greatest monsters in the world were known to have the most pleasant faces, the sweetest tongues and the most genuine of personalities and that still didn’t knock the fact that they murdered people by the truck loads!

    These issues of nationality are petty and stupid and all of the ‘grown up’ people that keep making it an issue, I wish you would just disappear into thin air!

    Irregardless of ‘who dun it’, there is a child that will forever be scarred and damaged because of this pervert, there are laws that need changing and people to help push it, there are children that need to be educated about the dangers of pedophiles (especially the ‘Gifford is a good person’ kind of pedophiles) who easily trick and fool people into thinking you could possibly know what is in a person’s heart or sick perverted mind!!

    Come on people, try to focus on the issue at hand, how can we help contribute to this in a positive way even though the situation is so sad.

    Everyday on the news it seems there is another story like Jaycee Dugard’s and in order to prevent those kinds of crimes from being prevalent in the Cayman Islands, we need solutions, not hatred towards each other.

    To the person who wrote the charater reference for Gifford, do me a favour will ya? Find the little boy that was molested by the guy who you swears ‘never thinks about his self’ and tell him to his little face that he is indeed the LIAR that you are telling us he must be since Gifford is such a ‘good man’. 

    Sincerely,

    The Truth Hurts!

     

  10. True Caymanian says:

    Hey this is our Cayman, if you don’t like our indifference to home grown child molesters you are free to leave!!

     

     

    • da wa ya get says:

      WTH?!? You need to get your head checked. Indifference to child molestation is NOT okay!

      • Ummm... says:

        I believe he got his tongue out of his cheek – any chance you can get your head out of your ass and see what he was saying/doing???

        • da wa ya get says:

          My head isn’t up my ass…I still fail to see how that could have been tounge in cheek. That post was not funny or witty at all.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Of good character? I don’t  think so! The aggravating factors outlined demands the maximum sentence. 

    Putting him in Northward for five years will not rehabilitate him – he will offend again.

  12. Anonymous says:

    And we wonder why people commit crimes on this island, 5yrs, should be 25.

    So this man now goes to NW for 5yrs but problably only sends 3-4yrs, whilst inside he will get 3 meals a day, TV , CD player, drugs, freee health care and a cel phone. What is this child going to get? nothing.

  13. Anonymous says:

    This is a country serious about these crimes:

     

    Poland backs chemical castration

    Prisoner in silhouette

    Parliament has toughened sanctions against all sorts of sexual offences

    Polish MPs have passed legislation making it obligatory to chemically castrate certain sex offenders.

    Under the law anyone found guilty of raping children under 15, or close relatives, will be given drugs to lower their sex drive.

    All but three MPs present in the lower house voted for the measures.

    They were part of a bill that also increases jail terms for incest and paedophilia, and criminalises any attempt to justify paedophilia.

    Anyone propagating such a view is subject to a prison term of up to two years.

    The same sentence will be applicable to anyone attempting to seduce a child under 15 years of age over the internet.

    The legislation must still pass the senate before taking effect.

  14. Anonymous-Concern says:

    News Flash:

    Jamaica child pornography

    Thursday 24th September, 2009   Posted: 16:09 CIT   (21:09 GMT)

    KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Legislators in Jamaica have approved a bill that makes possession, production and distribution of child pornography a specific crime.
    Those found guilty could face up to 20 years in prison and nearly $6,000 in fines.
    Suspects previously linked to child pornography would be prosecuted under charges such as carnal abuse.
    Prime Minister Bruce Golding said in a statement released Wednesday that the government will aggressively pursue those who profit from child pornography.

    Jamaica also created its first sex–offender registry earlier this year and strengthened laws dealing with other sexual offenses.

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Five years …. Wake up Cayman, Wake up Cayman! This is a serious

    May God protect our Children!

     

    • Anonymous says:

      As despicable as it is, child molestation is not the same as child pornography so you cannot compare the penalties.    

  15. Anonymous says:

    Five yearsis too short a time for him to serve for what he did to the child. I agree that HSA should be ashamed to allow him to work with this case pending.

    May God be with the child and family members that are supporting him through this very difficult time.

     

  16. Anonymous says:

    Thank goodness he only used minor force to sexually abuse this child, this make all the difference. Perhaps he suffered from some form of provocation which would have mediated a longer sentence.

    In case my humor is not realized I am offended by this short sentence. 

    • Dawn says:

      I fully agree. How can the abuser’s sentence be short when the child’s sentence is not short!  He/She will have to live with what happened to them forever.  When will people stop giving the abuser so many rights and give the victims the rights they deserve!  It is insane!

  17. American Visitor says:

    The Cayman Island Goverment you should all be ashamed of yourselves for giving this man only five years.  Child molesters should be given life sentences.  These Molesters are sick son of a B*tches that should all be put on an Island and string by their D*cks.   Cayman should show them no mercy!       

    PS: It is written in the Bible….if you hurt any of my Children on this earth you might as well put a rope around your neck before I come.   God.

    • Anonymous says:

      Grow up. The bible also says it’s OK to sell your daughter into slavery. See exodus 21:7.

  18. Anonymous says:

    & who are the people sexually assaulting Caymanian children? Their own family members most of the time.

  19. Anonymous says:

    "because Canadians and Scotts and Englishmen decide how tp punish people who rape Caymanian children"

    well at least we are not the ones raping them…….what nationality was this monster???

    By the way it is Scots – if you are referring to Scottish people?

    • Anonymous says:

      It should not matter where they are from it happens all over the world, you all that is posting these comments on where the person is from is just as sick as the person molesting our children, please dont make it a caymanian thing!

      • Anonymous says:

        How does somebody that posts a comment stating a truthful fact ‘i.e. the molestor was a Caymanian’ suddenly become as sick as the molestor?

        You’ve got some really messed up people here. If you think somebody is sick because they rightfully accuse a Caymanian then I think you need to pull your head out of your behind.

        You are correct that it happens all over the world. But people are commenting on this story and responding to a Caymanian who was suggesting that the british and Canadians are responsible somehow.

        It’s not a race thing, I think it’s important to remember that it is a tiny island and it has more than it’s fair share of child molestation going on. All the cases I can remember have been Caymanians responsible, usually a family member. So the comments are reflective of reality and stating these facts that it is a huge problem amongst Caymanians.

  20. Anonymous says:

    This is the way and life of CAYMAN NOW and it would get WORST!!!   The POLICE could have the person right in their PALMS…. and let them go or give them a LIGHT SENTENCE.  Look at the killing of Phillip Watler in 2005 at the HOSPITAL- the killer got  only 11yrs.  The Next Level killing this year all release on BAIL!!!!!!    SOOOO YOU COULD FORGET ABOUT THESE PEOPLE GETTING ANY TIME.  THATS WHY THE CRIME IS AND WILL GET WORSE!!! 

  21. Richard Wadd says:

     REHAD for this sick SOB? I hope you meant for his victim/s.

    The only rehab he needs is 9 lashes from the Cat, one for each count, and one to think about what he has done to this poor child, who incidentally, will PAY for HIS crime for the rest of her / his life.

     This is a Prime example of why we NEED Corporal Punishment ! 

  22. Anonymous says:

    Remember this petition? http://www.caymansexoffenders.org/

    The last government ignored it. Please sign it so that it can be considered by the new government!

  23. Anonymous says:

    This is a fine example of why the criminals have no fear!  What is there for them to fear?!

  24. Anonymous says:

    "mitigating factors…26 pages of character witnesses"…

    means beside the fact this person is touching kids hes a good guy???

    hope people who speak for him don’t have any children!

    and if the hospital story is true then someone should explain how it

    is possible to let someone work who is under investigation (and not for stealing a bandage) – i was there with my 2 kids when they were sik.

    guess there is still a chance they welcome him in northward with

    "open arms"…

     

    • Anonymous says:

      I wrote a character witnesses of Gifford and i have not one but two children and i trust him with there lives. I DO NOT and will never beleive any of the lies. Gifford is a good person. He is always there for everyone and never thinks about his self. I and my family stand with him.

      • Pale Rider says:

        "I and my family stand with him."

        Obviously not enough to print your name for the whole island to see that you stand beside a child molestor…..

      • Anonymous says:

        You should be arrested yourself for endangering your children, and theyshould be taken away and given to someone who will take care of them in a responsible manner. 

      • mother of three says:

        You and every other person who wrote a reference for this pervert should go to jail with him.

        References for pedophiles?  What a load of garbage. 

        If it was my child, they wouldn’t need to worry about feeding him in Northward, they could feed me instead.

      • Anonymous says:

        In reply to " I wrote a character witnesses"

        take your head out of the sand!! Gifford is a very sick man…the facts are the facts he has mess little boys life up for a long time. His MO is to seek out single women whos’ children are young boys…if you fit that profile have a talk to your boys.

        P.S. by the way this not the first time he has been charged with child molestation, but it’s the first time that a child stood up to him in court…his record speaks for it him!!!. Ask me how I know!   

  25. Anonymous says:

    Only 5 years??? This child will be affected for the rest of his/her life!

  26. Parent of a young child! says:

    5 years what a joke! He had 8 counts so he should have gotten 10 years for each count making it 80 years. It is proven that these sick perverted people will never not have the urges to do this to young people. His picture needs to be posted so that he will feel ashamed anywhere he goes. Cayman’s laws against sexual abuse to children is so sad and pathetic it’s not even funny. He will most likely get out in 3 years and molest another child. Then what? Will he get sentenced to another 5 years?

  27. Come on man says:

    Five years Mr. Henderson, this is why these men will continue to commint rape.  

    Shame on you Gifford Prenderast, I know your family and you did not have to do that. Shame on you Gifford

    Shame on the HSA for allowing you to continue to wrok.

    Am I correct in saying that once a government employee his charge for a crime, they are suspended until the matter is completed?

  28. Anonymous says:

    This guy was allowed back to work at the hospital with access to patients and information as recently as this month.  Hospital management should be ashamed of themselves.

    • Meso Phukdup says:

      They are – problem is, the rest of government is SITTING (cause they is too lazy to stand) in front of them…

  29. Anonymous says:

    I havn’t heard anything about REHAB!

    It just doesn’t make sense to sentence a man for 100 years without rehabilitation

    This man is mentally sick… and all we can do is sentence him???

     

    • noname says:

      Actually it does make sense to sentence this man to 100 years – then we wouldn’t have to worry about Rehabilitation or repeat offences.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Sexual assault on a child is worse than rape of an adult woman.

    How can he be sentenced to only 5 years?

    • Anonymous says:

      Because Canadians and Scotts and Englishmen decide how tp punish people who rape Caymanian children. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Oh yeah, those big bad Canadiams, Scots and English.   I think you forgot to mention the nationality of the offender……….

        • Anonymous says:

          I do not deny that a significant number of Caymanians are committing a significant number of serious offences. He may be Caymanian – even a "real"  Caymanian  but it certainly is not a traditional Caymanian name and if you choose to see the gazette from the relevant period, it seems at least 6 people with that (or strikingly similar) last name were recently granted status. Check the phone-book – there is not a single person with that last name in it – not even the 6 granted status by cabinet, so every indication that I can see is that he is not "established" here. It is probably of reasonable importance and fair and appropriate to enquire as to the immigration status of the offender – particularly since if he is not a born Caymanian he is at serious risk of deportation. And Caymanians and law abiding residents ought to know if they have any reason to be concerned that Immigration security is failing again, particularly since the individual recently charged with the rape of the tourist at the Westin, Jazzy B’s murderer (sorry – I mean manslaughterer)  and the persons accused of Estella’s murder and of Garau’s murder came here depite immigration controls.  If a Board or someone else gave him permission to be here,  can we be sure that all appropriate checks were done, and in any event, whether any and all permissions are being revoked – or do I need to worry when he is released in something significantly less than 5 years. CNS please investigate and report.  

          • "Caymanian to the Bone" says:

            The name Prendergast may not seem like a normal traditional Caymanian name, but for those of us who know him, we all know he is a full blooded Caymanian (Breakers/East End).

            It’s unfortunate that crime doesn’t choose a particular nationality to work with, it’s just the sick minds of the individuals who choose to commit them.

             

            • mother of three says:

              Amen to your last sentence.  Now, let’s focus on an appropiate punishment for these people.  Castration anyone?  Let’s get the laws changed somehow.  I don’t know how but references should not be allowed in court as a deciding factor on sentences.  Let’s have that changed first.

      • Anonymous says:

        If the Caymanians weren’t raping the children then the Canadians, Scots and English wouldn’t have anything to decide.

        • Anonymous says:

          You all need to SHUT-UP !!! this is not about Caymanian, Canadians, Scots, English or any other nationality…it’s about our children!!!. We must seek to get the laws changed.

          XXXXXXX…we need to take our heads out of the sand!!!. I am proud of the young man that stood up to this monster, but how sad it must be for him and  his family to see that he only got five years…sadder yet he will be out in about three years or so to do this all over again to another child.

          Cayman what are we going to do???

           

      • Anonymous says:

        That comment doesn’t make any sense.  In addition, I am sick and tired of *some* narrow-minded Caymanians who, no matter what the situation or crisis at hand may be, immediately decide that the ‘ex-pats’ are to blame.  I suspect you’d be in a right mess if the ex-pats did pick up and leave or if these ‘Canadians, Scotts and Englishmen’ ceased have any input on what happens on these islands–because then there’d be no-one left to blame but Caymanians for the way the island is deteriorating, and you’d actually have show responsibilty and take it upon yourselves to do something about it! Imagine that!

        Placing blame on others is certainly easy; but it’s not right.  Start focusing the blame elsewhere (i.e. towards the real perpetrators) and then we might soon start to yield positive results.

        And yes, I am a ‘full’ Caymanian.  Proud of my beautiful country, but very saddened by it’s current downfall–not least in the sense of some of the attitudes we have been witnessing.