A former policeman who is now serving a five-year prison term for carnal abuse was on Wednesday sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.

Richard Pearce, 41, was convicted by Resident Magistrate Frank Williams of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced in the Yallahs Resident Magistrate's Court in St Thomas to nine months' imprisonment on each of the charges. However, the sentences are to run concurrently.

Farmer and contractor Donald Walker, also called 'Ice', of Spring Gardens, St Thomas, who was charged jointly with Pearce, was also convicted of the offences.

The magistrate fined Walker $100,000, or nine months' imprisonment, for attempting to pervert the course of justice. He received a suspended sentence for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Walker was told that if he is convicted of any offence during the next three years, he would have to serve the nine-month prison term.

Lonely area

The charges stemmed from an attempt by Pearce and Walker to get the relatives of a 13-year-old girl to drop the carnal abuse case against Pearce.

The girl, who lives in St Thomas, was on her way from school in December last year when Pearce, then a police constable, offered her a ride home. Pearce drove into a lonely area in St Thomas and sexually assaulted the girl.

A report was made to the police and Detective Sergeant Bertlan Reynolds arrested and charged Pearce.

A jury convicted Pearce in July of carnal abuse and Justice Donald McIntosh sentenced him to five years' imprisonment.