Convicted sex predator Maleke Martin was put away for 16 years by Puisne Judge Shade Subair Williams yesterday on three counts of sex-related crimes.
Martin was handed a 16 years prison sentence for sexual exploitation by a person in a position of trust, 13½ years for sexual exploitation by a person in a position of trust and six years for showing offensive material to a child.
The sentences are to run concurrently, with Martin eligibe for parole after eight years.
The trial revealed how 26-year-old Martin had been invited to move into the home of his victim in October 2020 and later committed the devious acts.
His actions traumatised the young girl that she if often afraid to leave the house.
“Never in a million years did I think someone so close to me and my daughter would betray us in such a horrible way,” the girl’s mother wrote in a statement to the court. “Someone my daughter saw as her favourite uncle and someone I saw as my brother.
“I allowed you into my daughter’s life because I trusted you.
Puisne Judge Shade Subair Williams said that it was because of person’s that commit acts such as did Martin, that many feel insecure.
“It’s because of you that people feel this world is unsafe, especially parents,” said the judge. “You broke the heart of a mother, and you have single-handedly used your position to exploit a child and ruin her life.”
Debi Ray-Rivers, Founder & Executive Director of child protective agency SCARS, has praise for both the mother and child victim.
“I applaud the mom,” said Ray-Rivers. “She was a supporter and the Saviour for her daughter and that’s what this is all about. Doing the right thing in protecting the child.
“As a mother of two victims I can tell you that the process isn’t easy. I realize that she is a hero to that precious child.
“We, as adults in this community have to do everything that we can to protect our precious children. To make sure that our precious children are protected, each and every one. Sex offenders hide behind kindness, they hide behind friendship they look for vulnerabilities in families.
“And I am just so proud of this child and proud of this mom, who as a guardian and a protector of the child she done the right thing.
“And one day I guarantee her daughter will say to her, ‘Thank you mom for standing up for mer’. Because there are a lot of adults in this community who swept this under the rug, for whatever reason, and didn’t stand up for this young one. But her mom did and she’s a hero in my eyes.
Asked how parents can better to protect children and spare them the type of ordeal the victim of Martin endured, Ray-Rivers stressed education and training, saying that all adults are charged as guardians of the Island’s youngest and most vulnerable.
‘Trevor, this horror pulls at our hearts,” the charity boss told TNN, her voice hearkening a trauma borne in evil darkness. “No child should ever have to experience sexual violation.
“They are too innocent they don’t understand and what we have to do as adults is arm ourselves with information and to know that there are predators out there and people out there who take advantage of children.
“It is incumbent upon us adults in the community to learn what we can to make sure that our children are protected.
“You are scars certified Trevor, and so you will pass that information on to your children.
“Because our children are not always going to be with us and we didn’t know what we didn’t know years ago, which is why we want to educate our community, every adult in the community, as to what to look out for and to encourage them to do what this mother did.
“When all are brave enough to disclose or display signs of interference, that we do the right thing and report it to Child and Family Services.
“That is our duty, as mandated reporters – and every adult in this community is a mandated reporters – to report it.
“Because they don’t stop with one child … they just don’t. It’s an illness and it has to be stopped, it has to be addressed.
“It is not our shame as parents, as adults, as family members, even family members of perpetrators. It’s not their shame , this was their choice.”
She encouraged all to contact SCARS or visit their website for information and virtual training at scarsbermuda.com.
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