By Alric Lindsay
Justice Carter handed down her ruling today, January 23, 2025, in the bigamy case of William Gonzales Jr, giving him a conditional discharge and fining him $5,000. No conviction will be recorded as long as he does not commit a crime over a one-year period.
Sentencing details
Summarizing the sentencing considerations, Justice Carter noted that the maximum sentence for bigamy in the Cayman Islands is five years. In comparison, the maximum sentence in the United Kingdom is seven years.
Justice Carter referred to several cases that were considered for Gonzales Bodden Jr’s sentencing. These included cases in the Cayman Islands and the Eastern Caribbean.
After considering the facts of the above cases and the specific circumstances of Gonzales Bodden Jr’s case, Justice Carter ruled that a prison sentence was not warranted. In the circumstances, Justice Carter ordered that he be conditionally discharged. No conviction will be recorded, provided that he does not commit a crime in a period of one year. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $5,000 in prosecution costs.
Note to readers:
Court cases referred to in the court about bigamy included the following:
- R v Solice
- R v Haylock
- R v Barrington
- Ballard (Court of Appeal)
- R v Richard Finnegan (Eastern Caribbean Court)
For related stories on the Gonzales Bodden Jr case, please see the below link.
