ST. CROIX — Cecile Douglas, 44, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after a St. Croix jury convicted him of first-degree aggravated rape, two counts of first-degree unlawful sexual contact and child abuse involving a child under the age of 13.
Superior Court Judge Ernest E. Morris Jr. imposed the sentence on September 16. Douglas received 30 years for first-degree aggravated rape, 10 years for each of the two first-degree unlawful sexual contact convictions and five years for child abuse. All four sentences will run concurrently, leaving him with a total term of 30 years behind bars. He was also ordered to pay court costs.
The sentence follows Douglas’s June 30 conviction on all four counts after a two-day jury trial. Jurors deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before returning guilty verdicts.
When The Consortium reported the conviction in July, the V.I. Department of Justice said Douglas faced a potential sentence of 15 years to life. The department’s original announcement also confirmed that the victim in the case was a child younger than 13.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to protecting children, holding offenders accountable, and seeking justice for victims of sexual violence,” Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea said following the sentencing.
The case was prosecuted for the People of the Virgin Islands by former V.I. Department of Justice Director of the White Collar Crime and Public Corruption Unit Patricia Lynn Pryor and Assistant Attorney General Katia Maria Bouza.
