A 63-year-old former police officer was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison for raping a woman in 2010.
Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas, presiding in the Port-of-Spain High Court, had initially considered a 15-year sentence for Andy Allan, of Chaguanas, but increased the sentence due to aggravating factors in the case, including his former profession and the fact that he put the victim through the trauma of a trial in which he cross-examined her.
Allan was convicted by a nine-member jury last December. During the trial, prosecutors said the attack took place at Allan’s home on March 27, 2010.
The victim, a member of a netball team Allan coached, said she went to his home to collect uniforms that she and her teammates needed to participate in a march past competition the following day. She told the court Allan invited her to try on the uniform in his bedroom. She said while she was doing so he came into the room and raped her.
During his cross-examination of the victim, Allan claimed they had a close relationship and a financial arrangement where he deposited money into her account monthly. He claimed the sex was consensual and he dropped the victim home after.
Allan also alleged that the victim only reported the incident after her boyfriend found out about their relationship. The victim repeatedly denied his claims.
