Former Guyana Chronicle photographer, Vishawanauth Narine, was on Thursday handed a two-year suspended sentence after reaching a $1.1 million financial settlement with the victim in his sexual assault case.
Narine, who was found guilty on one count of sexual assault, appeared virtually via Zoom before Magistrate Orinthia Schmidt at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. His family members were present in court and handed over the agreed compensation to the victim.
Just as Narine was expected to be formally sentenced, both sides reached an agreement, resulting in the suspended sentence being imposed.
The former photographer was initially charged with two counts of sexual assault, said to have occurred in December 2023. He had pleaded not guilty to both charges when the matter first came before Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
Following the allegations, the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) -publishers of the Guyana Chronicle -had issued a public statement on December 30, 2023, expressing that it was “profoundly concerned” about reports involving a male employee accused of sexually assaulting a female staff member. The company noted that the alleged incidents occurred on December 22 and 27, and were reported to management on December 29, after a complaint was lodged with the Alberttown Police Station.
