A 32-year-old man, who was found guilty of raping the girlfriend of his roommate, has been sentenced to 17 years in jail.
Justice Renae McKay handed down the sentence on Danis Cezalien, who the prosecution alleged had raped the 25-year-old woman in a home in northeastern New Providence on November 25, 2023.
The court heard that prior to the sexual assault, Cezalien, the woman and her boyfriend had gone out for drinks to celebrate the boyfriend’s birthday and while they were celebrating, the police arrested the boyfriend for unpaid traffic tickets.
The woman and Cezalien returned home with the woman saying she had several drinks and went to sleep. She said she awoke to pressure on her chest and first assumed it was her boyfriend.
But she said she realised it was Cezalien after she remembered her boyfriend had been locked up.
The woman said Cezalien put his hands over her mouth and raped her.
Cezalien, who held his head when the judge imposed the sentence, did not deny having a sexual encounter with the woman, but claimed it was consensual.