NASSAU, Bahamas, Mar 6, CMC – A 46-year-old man, who claimed he was now before the court because he’s “not good looking and black” has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of raping a child in 2017.
Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns handed down the sentence on Spark Elvis Strapp, 46, who showed no emtoion when the sentence was handed down, asking the court only to place him in protective custody.
Justce Archer-Minns, who in passing the sentence, had noted the age disparity between Strapp, then 37, and his 17-year-old victim, said she would inform officials of his security concerns.
“He was old enough to be her father and abused the trust that she placed in him as an older person whom she trusted to get her home safely,” she said regarding the incdent that occurred in January 2017.
The court heard that Strapp offered the teen a ride home but took her to his place, where he raped her. He told the court that he and the teen had consensual and transactional sex and that she was upset because he didn’t pay her the US$500 that she had demanded.
According to the now 26-year-old victim, the incident has made her distrustful in romantic relationships, and she experiences panic attacks. She said she wanted him to be held accountable for his actions.
CMC/gf/ir/2026